THE WEEK AHEAD

• Sacramento State (9-8, 4-2) begins its fourth week of the conference season, and is back home after a successful sweep of its first-ever Big West road trip.
• The Hornets defeated both UC San Diego and UC Irvine on the road last week - teams that entered its match with Sacramento State with just one conference loss. The Hornets were able to defeat both teams in four sets, and now find themselves in a six-way tie for second place in the Big West standings.
• Sacramento State begins a three-match homestand with matchups this week vs. Cal State Fullerton (6-13, 1-5) on Thursday at 7 p.m., and Long Beach State (12-4, 4-2) on Saturday at noon.
• Long Beach State and the Hornets are two on the crowded list of second place teams that also include CSUN, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine.
• By the time this current three-match homestand concludes (the Hornets also host Utah Valley on Oct. 22), Sacramento State will have played seven of its first nine matches at home. That will also mark the halfway point of the conference season, meaning seven of the team's final nine will be on the road.
• Both matches this week, and every match the rest of the season, will stream on ESPN+.
• Sacramento State is 5-2 at home with both losses coming in Big West play to Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Cal Poly is 6-0 in league, and has dropped just one set to a Big West opponent.
• After beginning the season 0-5 in league play, Cal State Fullerton defeated UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, at home on Saturday. The Titans are 1-8 on the road this year, including five straight losses.
• Sacramento State is 4-3 all-time against Cal State Fullerton, and has won four straight in the series (2023, 2015, 1994, 1991). In fact, the Hornets have not lost to the Titans during the Div. I era (1991-pres.). Cal State Fullerton's last win in the series came in 1986. The most recent meeting resulted in a 3-0 Sacramento State sweep at the Nest in 2023. Each of the last three Hornet wins have come via sweep and Cal State Fullerton has not won a set against Sacramento State since 1991.
• Long Beach is the Big West's top ranked team in the RPI at No. 51 despite being swept in convincing fashion at home by Cal Poly on Saturday. The team is 6-2 on the road, including 3-1 in league play.
• Sacramento State is 1-2 all-time against Long Beach State, and Saturday will be the first meeting since the Hornets defeated the Beach, 3-0, in the Nest in 2006. Long Beach State was ranked 25th in the nation at the time, and that victory is one of seven wins the Hornets have against a nationally ranked opponent during the Div. I era. That is also the only time the Beach has ever played in the Nest.
• On Monday, both Victoria Marthaler (Offensive) and Skyler Gartin (Defensive) were named the Big West Players of the Week for the second time this season. The duo also swept the awards on Sept. 7.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Every match the remainder of the season will stream on ESPN+ and feature live stats. That includes this week's matches with 10th-year play-by-play man Will Schilling on the call alongside analyst and Sacramento State men's club volleyball Hall of Famer Mark Harrison.
• Links for video and live stats are next to each game on the volleyball schedule at hornetsports.com.

NEW CONFERENCE

• After 30 years in the Big Sky (1996-25), the team has transitioned to its first year in the Big West. Gone are out-of-state conference road trips to Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Washington and Oregon. In fact, of the team's nine road matches in Big West play, eight will be played in California.
• In its 30 years in the Big Sky, Sacramento State ripped off 10 regular season titles, and 10 tournament crowns. In conference play, the Hornets were 326-147 (.689 win%) against Big Sky opposition.

POTENT IN THE MIDDLE

• The Hornets' middle blocker tandem of junior Skyler Gartin and freshman Nikola Gamlin has been lethal. The two have combined to form one of the more formidable middle duos in the Big West.
• Gamlin ranks second in the Big West with a .404 hitting percentage, and Gartin sits fourth with a .360 percentage. Together, they are combining to hit .382 with 246 kills in 503 swings.
• In conference play, Gamlin is third with a .447 hitting percentage, and Gartin is fourth with a .432.
• The two have started all 17 matches - Gamlin has averages of 1.93 kills and 0.72 blocks per set. Gartin is averaging 1.72 kills and 1.21 blocks per set, and leads the Big West with 1.45 bps in conference play.
• Gartin's .889 hitting percentage (8-0-9) vs. UC Riverside is the fourth best mark in program history, while Gamlin owns the sixth best mark with her .857 (12-0-14) at San Jose State.
• Gamlin has hit above .500 seven times, including five of the last eight matches.

AMPI NOTCHES 1,000 DIGS

• Libero Reese Ampi, in her third season with the Hornets after transferring from American River Junior College, collected her 1,000th kill at UC San Diego, and now has 1,024 during her Hornet career.
• She became the 30th player in program history to reach the milestone.
• Ampi has started each of her three seasons at Sacramento State as the team's libero, and was named the Big Sky's Libero of the Year in 2025.

MARTHALER HAVING ANOTHER BIG SEASON

• Six-rotation outside hitter Victoria Marthaler is on her way to a second straight big season.
• Last year, she was honorable mention All-America, Big Sky MVP, all-Pacific Region, first team all-Big Sky, and Big Sky all-tournament. She was also selected Big West preseason all-conference this year.
• Marthaler ranked sixth in the nation a year ago with 4.89 kills per set, and seventh in the country with 5.38 points per set. She upped that average to a ridiculous 5.72 kills per set in conference play.
• This season, she has been named all-tournament three times, and currently ranks 13th in the nation with 279 kills, and 19th in the country with 313.5 points. She also has 898 career kills.
• She leads the Big West in both kills per set (4.04) and points per set (4.54).
• Marthaler has registered double figures in kills in 34 of her last 35 matches, and posted 20+ kills in both wins last week despite them lasting just four sets each.

FROM THE SERVICE LINE

• Sacramento State's 132 aces rank 19th in the nation. The Hornets have posted double-figure aces seven times, and have registered at least five aces in all but three contests.
• The Hornets have four players ranking among the Big West's top 20 in aces per set, including Makenna Wiepert (3rd with 0.41) and Amy Ito (6th with 0.38).

WIEPERT HAVING QUITE THE DEBUT

• Junior setter Makenna Wiepert, a transfer from UTSA, is having a very impressive debut season with the Hornets. That includes being named Big West Setter of the Week on two occasions.
• She has averages of 8.88 assists, 2.54 digs, 0.39 blocks and 0.41 aces per set. She also has a team-best 10 double-doubles. Among Big West leaders, she is second in assists per set, and third in aces per set.

QUICK HITS

The Hornets are 9-3 when hitting above .200, and 0-5 when hitting below…the Hornets have played six straight matches that went four sets or less, after six of their first 11 went five sets…Hornets are 5-1 when finishing with 10+ team blocks…132 aces are 25 more than any other Big West team…Hornets are third in the Big West in points (16.71 pps) and hitting% (.237), and fourth in kills (12.71 kps).