RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Sacramento State hit .337, led by
Skyler Gartin's 11 kills and .733 hitting percentage, and the Hornets earned a road sweep at UC Riverside (25-20, 25-17, 25-14) on Friday night at SRC Arena.
The Hornets never trailed in the first or third sets, and the Highlanders' largest lead of the evening was 4-2 early in the second frame. While the Hornets had 41 kills in 101 swings, UC Riverside was limited to a .158 hitting percentage which included 29 kills in 95 swings.
With the victory, Sacramento State improved to 11-11 overall and 6-5 in the Big West. The Hornets sweep the season series, which included a 3-0 win over the Highlanders at the Nest on Sept. 26. Sacramento State is now 3-1 on the road against Big West teams, and will be on the road again tomorrow at California Baptist.
With just seven matches left in the regular season, Sacramento State moved into a tie for fifth place in the Big West standings. The top six teams in the 12-member league qualify for the conference tournament Nov. 25-28 in San Luis Obispo.
Sacramento State moved its record to 12-6 all-time vs. UC Riverside, and has won four straight in the series. Surprisingly, this was the Hornets' first-ever match in Riverside. Eleven of those 18 meetings have come on neutral floors.
For the Hornets,
Victoria Marthaler led all players with 15 kills and the junior outside hitter inched closer to 1,000 career kills. Joining her in double figures was Gartin's 11 kills. The junior middle blocker is now hitting .491 in conference play. Freshman middle
Nikola Gamlin also had a big match, finishing with six kills, two blocks and a .500 hitting percentage.
Libero
Reese Ampi had a team-best 15 digs,
Keonahi'ilani Solaita three kills, two aces and five digs, and
Mia Molnar three kills. Setter
Makenna Wiepert posted her 12th double-double of the season with 29 assists and 11 digs. The Hornets used 12 Hornets in tonight's match, and eight had at least one kill.
Sacramento State returns to action tomorrow at California Baptist. Match time is 6 p.m.
NOTES
• Sacramento State improved to 11-3 when hitting above .200
• Marthaler is just 17 kills shy or recording her 1,000th kill. After playing her freshman season at Weber State (66 kills), Marthaler has racked up 917 kills in less than two full seasons at Sacramento State
• Gartin has now hit above .330 in eight straight matches. On seven of those occasions, she has hit better than .400
