SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Bridgette Smith had 23 kills (one shy of career high), and all four sets were decided by three points or less, but Sacramento State fell at Cal Poly, 3-1 (25-22, 28-26, 25-27, 25-23), on Friday evening at Mott Athletics Center.

The match marked the season opener for both teams, and was the first of a two-day tournament hosted by Cal Poly. Sacramento State concludes the tournament with a match vs. 19th-ranked Arkansas tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.

In a contest the Hornets outplayed Cal Poly, and could have just as easily won, Sacramento State had 10 more kills (64-54) and 10 more assists (59-49) than the Mustangs. The Hornets hit .253 (64-24-158), and squandered a pair of set points in the second frame.

The Hornets briefly held a 24-23 lead in the fourth set, but a Cal Poly challenge resulted in a Mustang point to reverse the score. Cal Poly then got extremely lucky, connecting on a service ace that hit the net and fell to the floor untouched on match point.

The one area the Hornets were dominated was service errors, as the Hornets had 15 compared to just five for Cal Poly. A number of those service errors came late in multiple sets. The Mustangs had 10 aces compared to nine for the Hornets.

Bridgette Smith was incredible all evening, leading all players with 23 kills to go along with a .400 hitting percentage (23-3-50), eight digs and four aces. She finished one shy of her career high for kills, and surpassed the 1,300 career kill mark. In fact, Smith, who is the reigning Big Sky Player of the Year, became the ninth Hornet at the Div. I level to register 1,300 kills. She had 6, 6, 7 and 4 kills, respectively, in sets 1-4.

Ellie Tisko, who had the kill at set point in the third frame, finished with 13 kills, three aces and a .346 hitting percentage. The reigning second team all-Big Sky performer had just four errors in 26 swings. Caitlin Volkmann posted 11 kills and 12 digs (fifth career double-double), and is now just two kills shy of 1,000 for her career.

Junior Ashlynn Archer, making her first career start, was impressive with nine kills, a .312 hitting percentage and four blocks. The four blocks were easily a team best, as the Hornets had just four team blocks. Making her Sacramento State debut, libero Reese Ampi had a team-high 14 digs. Sacramento State ran a 6-2 offense, as Kate Doorn finished with 30 assists and nine digs, while Hailey Plugge posted 22 assists and four digs.

Middle blocker Karlie Spohn, who redshirted in 2022 and was injured all season in 2023, had an impressive debut with six kills and a .333 hitting percentage.

The Hornets conclude the tournament with tomorrow's matchup vs. nationally ranked Arkansas.