SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State hit .400 (its second highest output of the season) while limiting Idaho to a .100 percentage on the way to a sweep of the Vandals on Thursday evening at the Nest. Set scores were 25-13, 25-18, 25-14.
The Hornets improved to 13-9 overall and 6-3 in the Big Sky Conference. The team is now 7-1 at home, including a 4-1 record against conference opposition in the Nest. Today marked the first match of the second half of league play, as the Hornets have just seven more games during the regular season.
The win was the ninth straight against Idaho, and the Hornets have not lost to the Vandals since 2019. In fact, no Sacramento State player on the current roster has ever lost to Idaho. Tonight marked the only meeting of the season between the two teams.
Sacramento State had large runs in the first (19-7), second (13-1) and third (8-0) sets. The Hornets had 47 kills (24 more than Idaho) with just nine errors in 95 swings. Sacramento State also had eight aces and eight team blocks. The aces came from the hands of
Caitlin Volkmann (3),
Bridgette Smith (2),
Reese Ampi (2) and
Kate Doorn (1).
Smith was incredible, finishing with 17 kills despite the match lasting just three sets and one hour, 18 minutes. The reigning All-American also hit .438 with two aces, two blocks, four digs, and received nine serves flawlessly. No other player in the match had more than 10 kills.
Four Hornets had at least seven kills, including middle blocker
Karlie Spohn who finished with career highs in kills (7) and hitting percentage (.500). She also had three blocks.
Ellie Tisko had eight kills, three blocks and a .462 hit%, and Volkmann finished with eight kills and four digs. Middle
Ashlynn Archer posted four kills and match highs in hitting percentage (.667) and blocks (4).
Doorn had 25 assists and a team-best seven digs, Ampi had six digs,
Skyler Gartin two kills, and
Greta Davis a pair of blocks. Sacramento State used all 13 active players on the roster in tonight's match.
The Hornets have just three home matches left on the regular season schedule, although they do host the Big Sky Tournament Nov. 27-29. After Saturday afternoon's home match vs. Eastern Washington (1 p.m.), Sacramento State will play four straight on the road spanning the next two weeks.
Saturday will mark a tripleheader on the Sacramento State campus as the Hornets play at 1 p.m., followed by men's soccer hosting UC Davis at 3 p.m., and football hosting Portland State at 6 p.m.
