THE WEEK AHEAD

• Sacramento State opens the 2026 season at the Asics Classic in Malibu, Calif. The three-day tournament (Friday-Sunday) is hosted by Pepperdine.
• Four teams will compete at the tournament, and all four will play once each day. Sacramento State will play Friday vs. South Dakota State at 3 p.m., followed by Saturday vs. Villanova at 2 p.m., and Sunday vs. host Pepperdine at 1 p.m.
• All four teams won at least 20 matches a year ago, making this one of the toughest fields in the country in Week 1 of the volleyball season. In fact, the four teams combined to post an 84-31 overall record and 54-12 conference mark a season ago.
• All three of the Hornets' opponents this week finished between 36 and 44 in last year's NCAA RPI rankings. South Dakota State finished 36th in the nation, Villanova was 39th, and Pepperdine was 44th. Sacramento State finished 140th.
• South Dakota State went 23-5 and 16-0 in the Summit League, Villanova was 20-8 and 11-5 in the Big East, and Pepperdine 21-8, and 15-3 in the WCC. The Hornets finished 20-10 and 12-4 in the Big Sky. 
• The Hornets are a combined 1-5 all-time against the tournament field, including 0-4 vs. Pepperdine and 1-1 against Villanova. Sacramento State has never played South Dakota State. Pepperdine defeated the Hornets, 3-2 (15-12 in the 5th) at last season's season-opening Sacramento State Invitational. The Hornets have not played Villanova since a 3-1 loss in San Francisco during the 2008 season.
• Last year marked the Hornets' 30th and final season in the Big Sky, as the team has joined the Big West this year.
• This marks just the second time in six years the Hornets will not open the season at home. On each of those four home occasions, the team hosted the Sacramento State Invitational. This year, that tournament falls next weekend during the second week of the season.
• Of the Hornets' three matches this week, only their matchup at Pepperdine will have a video stream. Sunday's matchup will stream on ESPN+. All three matches will feature live stats. Reminder that all multimedia links can be found next to each match on the volleyball schedule at hornetsports.com.
• Sacramento State began preseason practices on July 30, and has been practicing six days a week leading up to Friday's opener. The Hornets also scrimmaged Boise State and Nevada last weekend.
• The Hornets have won eight of their last 10 season openers. 
• Head coach Ruben Volta, in his 19th season at the helm, needs just one win for 300 career victories. Volta currently has a record of 299-259.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Sunday's matchup at Pepperdine will stream on ESPN+. The other two Hornet matches will not have a video stream. All three Sacramento State matches will have live stats.
• Links for video and live stats can be found on the volleyball schedule at hornetsports.com.
• All home matches, and contests played inside a Big West venue, will stream on ESPN+ this season.

NEW CONFERENCE

• After 30 years in the Big Sky (1996-25), 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 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.

THIS YEAR'S ROSTER

• Sacramento State is equipped with 10 returners and four starters from last year's 20-win squad.
• 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 (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.

BIG WEST MAKEUP

• 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.
• 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.

MARTHALER COMING OFF A MONSTER SEASON

• Six-rotation outside hitter Victoria Marthaler is coming off a huge season in which she was honorable mention All-America, Big Sky MVP, all-Pacific Region, first team all-Big Sky, and Big Sky all-tournament.
• On Friday of last seek, she was one of seven players selected Big West preseason all-conference.
• Marthaler ranked sixth in the nation 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.
• Her season ranked among Sacramento State's all-time top five players in single-season history in points per set (3rd), kills per set (4th) and kills (5th with 553).
• Posted double-figure kills in 27 matches, including 10 with 20-plus kills, and three with 30-plus kills.

SOLAITA LEADS AMERICAN SAMOA NATIONAL TEAM

• Keonahi'ilani Solaita served as head team captain of the American Samoa National Team over the summer. She helped the team to a second place finish at the Oceania Zonal Championship in Guam.
• The performance moved American Samoa from 236th to 74th in the world, the highest the team has ever been ranked. In addition, the team qualified for the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti.
• Solaita, just a sophomore, was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year last season. A six-rotation outside hitter, she averaged 2.06 kills, 1.81 digs, 0.30 aces and 2.46 points per set.

NOTABLES

Reese Ampi was named Big Sky Libero of the Year (first Hornet since 2016) after ranking third in the league with 4.34 digs per set. That includes eight matches with 20-plus digs…middle blocker Skyler Gartin could be poised for a big season. She averaged 1.22 kps and 0.81 bps with a .377 hitting percentage, and the hit% was the third best single-season mark in program history…Sacramento State has three Canadians on the roster in outside hitters Charlee Lepp (Vancouver, B.C.) and Mia Molnar (Cranbrook, B.C.), and middle blocker Nikola Gamlin (Airdrie, Alberta).