GREELEY, Colo. – Victoria Marthaler recorded 21 kills and was one of three Sacramento State players in double digits as the Hornets outlasted Portland State, 3-2, in the opening round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Monday at Northern Colorado.
 
The match had the makings of a Sacramento State sweep as the team took the first two sets, 25-18 and 25-16. However, the Vikings had other plans, preserving their season with a 25-20 win in the third set and a 25-21 victory in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The Hornets never trailed in that fifth set, claiming the first two points and eventually leading 4-1 and 8-2. PSU was able to draw back within three points on a couple of occasions, including 12-9 before a kill from setter Kate Doorn and a Viking attack error gave Sacramento State a comfortable advantage.
 
Along with Marthaler, Keonahi'ilani Solaita added 14 kills and Ashlynn Archer had 12 kills. Archer and fellow middle Skyler Gartin were highly efficient as the pair hit .417 and .412, respectively.
 
As a team, the Hornets hit .235 with 66 kills and limited the Vikings to a .203 mark with 57 kills. Sacramento State also had a big advantage behind the service line where it tallied seven aces compared to two from PSU.
 
With the victory, Sacramento State (20-9) advances to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals where it will play on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. PT against #3 Northern Colorado, which beat Montana State in five sets this evening. The Hornets entered the tournament as the #2 seed after finishing the conference season with a 12-4 record. Portland State was the #7 seed, and Sacramento State eliminated the Vikings from the postseason tournament for the second straight year. 
 
In fact, the Hornets have won six straight meetings vs. Portland State, which includes both regular season matchups this year and last season.
 
Sacramento State is making its 25th appearance at the Big Sky Tournament and has now qualified for at least the semifinal round on 20 occasions. Should the Hornets win tomorrow night, they would play for the Big Sky title on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT.
 
Northern Colorado is the host of this year's tournament by virtue of winning last season's Big Sky regular season title. The Hornets are the defending Big Sky Tournament champions after winning three straight matches at last season's tournament in The Nest.