SACRAMENTO -- The 2026 Sacramento State volleyball season is on the horizon, and the Hornets, equipped with 10 returners and four starters from last season's 20-win squad, will open preseason practice on Thursday afternoon.

Head coach Ruben Volta, entering his 19th season, will hold preseason practices six days a week beginning on Thursday, and running through late August. The team's final preseason practice will take place Aug. 26 before the squad heads to Malibu for the season-opening three-day tournament at Pepperdine (Aug. 28-30).

Among this year's returners are starters at outside hitter (Victoria Marthaler, Keonahi'ilani Solaita), middle blocker (Skyler Gartin) and libero (Reese Ampi). Marthaler was Big Sky MVP and honorable mention All-American, Solaita was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and Ampi was the Big Sky Libero of the Year. Both Marthaler and Ampi will serve as this year's team captains.

The team did lose three starters, including a pair of first team all-conference selections in setter Kate Doorn and middle blocker Ashlynn Archer. Doorn, however, remains with the program as the reigning Big Sky Setter of the Year will enter her first season as assistant coach with the Hornets.

The team's roster features 15 players, which includes five newcomers. Of those 15 players, only five are upperclassmen. The roster breaks down to a pair of seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and four freshmen. Of the team's five newcomers, only transfer Makenna Wiepert (UTSA) is not a freshman.

NOTES

• After 30 years in the Big Sky (1996-26), the team will transition to its first year in the Big West. Gone are out-of-state conference road trips to Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Washington and Oregon. In fact, of the team's nine road matches in Big West play, eight will come in the state of California.

• The Hornets hope to enjoy the same success in the Big West they experienced in the Big Sky. In its 30 years in the conference, Sacramento State ripped off 10 Big Sky regular season titles, and 10 Big Sky Tournament crowns. In conference play, the Hornets posted a 326-147 record (.689 win%) against Big Sky opposition.

• There are 12 teams in the Big West, and the Hornets will play seven of those squads twice (California Baptist, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, and Utah Valley). Sacramento State will play just once against CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State and CSUN. In Big West play, Sacramento State will play at home on Thursdays and Saturdays, and on the road Fridays and Saturdays.

• The Hornets' first-ever Big West match will take place at home on Thursday, Sept. 24, vs. California Baptist, and is part of a season-long four match homestand to begin the conference season.

• Sacramento State finished last year 20-10 overall, and 12-4 in conference (second place). It marked the third straight season with at least 20 overall victories. The Hornets finished 10-4 at home, and 4-0 on neutral floors.

• This year's Big West Championship will take place in San Luis Obispo on Cal Poly's home floor (Nov. 25-28). The top six teams in the 12-member league qualify for the postseason event, with the winner receiving an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, UC Davis won the regular season crown while Cal Poly won the tournament title. Cal Poly eventually reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. UC Davis is no longer in the Big West, as the Aggies moved to the Mountain West Conference. Also no longer in the Big West is Hawaii, which also headed to the Mountain West.

• Sacramento State is joined by California Baptist and Utah Valley as the three newcomers to the Big West.

• The Hornets enter the fall with a team GPA of 3.48, which ranks as the fifth best mark among Sacramento State's 21 intercollegiate sports. Last year's team had 10 players finish the spring semester with overall GPA's of at least a 3.60. A total of 12 Hornets received Big Sky all-academic accolades last fall.

• The annual Alumni Game will take place on Saturday, Aug. 8, at noon inside the Nest. 

• Sacramento State will play a pair of preseason scrimmages in Reno on Saturday, Aug. 22. The Hornets will play Boise State at 10 a.m., followed by Nevada at 5 p.m. The scrimmages are open to the public.

• For the sixth straight year, all of the Hornets' home matches, and every match inside a Big West venue, will video stream live on ESPN+. Play-by-play voice Will Schilling will be on the call for every home match.

• Sacramento State volleyball is available on social media platforms Facebook, X, and Instagram. There, you can stay up to date with graphics, video highlights, photos and more. The handles for both Twitter and Instagram are @sacstatevb.

• The Hornets are planning their third foreign tour in the last 10 years. The trip will take place in June of 2027, and the team will travel to Italy, Croatia and Slovenia for approximately 11-12 days. Details are still being finalized for how many matches the team will play. Previous foreign tours for the Hornets included China in 2017, and Portugal and Spain in 2023.