SACRAMENTO -- Outside hitter
Caitlin Volkmann had a match-high 19 kills,
Bridgette Smith had 14 kills, and
Reese Ampi 17 digs to help Sacramento State to a 3-1 victory (25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-17) over Montana State on Thursday evening at the Nest.
The match was the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams as the Hornets improved to 8-6 overall and 1-0 in league play. Dating back to 2015, the Hornets are now 64-10 at home vs. Big Sky opposition. In addition, Sacramento State is 29-4 all-time at home vs. Montana State.
Volkmann was incredible, finishing three shy of her career high with 19 kills to go with a .333 hitting percentage, eight digs and four blocks. Her 19 digs were five more than any other player, and she has registered 15-plus kills in four of her last six matches.
The senior outside hitter helped spearhead a Hornet offense that hit .281 with 17 more kills (63-46) than MSU. Three Hornets finished in double-figure kills, including Smith's 14 kills, nine digs and three blocks, and
Ellie Tisko's 10 kills and six digs. Smith is now just two kills shy of becoming the fifth player in program history to notch 1,500 career kills.
Ashlynn Archer, already third in the Big Sky in hitting percentage, improved that mark with nine kills, a .375 hitting percentage and career-high tying six blocks. She is now hitting .337 this season.
Karlie Spohn added five kills and career-high tying five blocks, and
Greta Davis tacked on five kills.
Kate Doorn posted her 13th career double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs, while
Hailey Plugge had 21 assists and six digs. Ampi's 17 digs were two shy of her season high, and she was part of a Hornet defense that limited the Bobcats to a .164 hitting percentage. In fact, MSU hit .079, .143, and .029 in the first, third and fourth sets (all losses), respectively.
Sacramento State had nine aces, including four from Smith and three from Ampi.
The Hornets return to action Saturday for a road match at Eastern Washington. First serve is 11 a.m. After Saturday, Sacramento State will play three straight at home from Oct. 4-12.
