Match Results
- Sacramento State def. Idaho 3-0, (25-23, 25-20, 25-23)
- Sacramento State improves to 18-7, 9-0 Big Sky, Idaho falls to 12-8, 7-2 Big Sky
- Moscow, Idaho
- Attendance: 465
- Match Stats
Sacramento State continued their perfect conference season run with a sweep over Idaho on the road. The win puts them at 9-0 in conference and on a 9-0 winning streak. This is the best Big Sky mark for the Hornets since the squad joined the league in 1996 and since 2007 when the Hornets team started 8-0 in conference play.
Both teams were evenly matched in the sweep for the Hornets, as they ended the night with a .364 hitting percentage while the Vandals secured a .356 hitting clip in the loss.
Idaho took a small lead in the first set of 10-8 before the Hornets swooped in a took the 12-11 advantage. A Sacramento State service error tied things back up at 12-12 and a kill from Reece Carman brought the Vandals back into the lead. The back and forth struggle for the two squads continued throughout the rest of the first until Kennedy Kurtz put down a kill to give the Hornets a 25-23 first set win.
The second and third sets weren’t much different than the first, as the teams duked it out in back and forth battles until Sacramento State took the sets 25-20 and 25-23.
The Hornets were led by Lana Brown with 12 kills on a .632 hitting clip followed by Shannon Boyle with 11 kills and 18 digs for a double-double. Mikaela Nocetti posted another 11 kills in the win while Brigitte Murdock picked up 13 digs.
For Idaho, Sarah Sharp led the losing effort with 15 kills while Kaela Straw added in another 14. Carman ended the match with 10 kills on a .450 hitting clip. From the back row, Klaree Hobart and Alycia Wodke picked up 13 and 10 digs, respectively.
Press Release
Courtesy of Sacramento State Athletics
In a battle of the two first place teams in the Big Sky Conference, Sacramento State hit .364 on the way to a three-set sweep (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) of Idaho on Thursday evening at Memorial Gym.
With the victory, Sacramento State (18-7, 9-0) continues its perfect conference season, and remains in first place in the Big Sky’s South Division. Tonight’s win came against an Idaho team that had been 7-1 in league and sat atop the conference’s North Division. In fact, with seven matches to play, not only are the Hornets the only team in the 12-member league with a perfect conference record, but they also own the inside track at hosting this year’s Big Sky Tournament on Nov. 16-18. The regular season champion hosts the tournament and the Hornets essentially have a 2-game lead or better against every other team in the Big Sky.
The Hornets have won nine straight, and 15 of the last 17 matches. In addition, the 9-0 record is the best Big Sky mark in school history as the program joined the league in 1996. The 2007 squad, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, owned the previous best mark of 8-0.
Dating back to last year, Sacramento State has now won a massive 17 consecutive regular season matches against Big Sky opposition. The Hornets won eight straight last year to close the regular season. Of those 17 straight wins, 11 have come via three-set sweep.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that the Hornets have now won six straight matches when playing on an opponent’s home floor this season. That includes a 3-0 record on the road against Big Sky teams with each of those outcomes resulting in a three-set sweep.
Idaho had its five-match winning streak snapped while falling to 12-8 overall and 7-2 in conference play. Tonight also marked Sacramento State’s first-ever road win at Idaho as the two teams had played in Moscow just once previously (a 3-2 Idaho win in 2015). The Hornets are now 4-3 all-time against the Vandals.
In a match that saw just 19 combined attack errors between the two teams, Sacramento State hit .364 (50-10-110) while Idaho hit .356 (51-9-118). The Hornets’ hitting percentage was their second best mark of the season as four different starters hit at least .375. That included middle blocker Lana Brown who had a team-best 12 kills without an error in 19 attacks, good for a .632 hitting percentage. She also had four blocks and the hitting percentage was the second best mark of her career.
Sacramento State had 50 digs and six aces, and came up with big plays late in both the first and third sets. In the first set, with the Hornets leading, 24-23, it was setter Kennedy Kurtz connecting on one of her four kills during the match to provide the 25-23 win. In the the third set, Sacramento State trailed, 22-21, but finished on a 4-1 run. That included three kills from reigning Big Sky Player of the Week Mikaela Nocetti and a service ace from Skyler Takeda. Nocetti’s 11th kill of the match delivered the Hornet win.
“I was very pleased with the team’s effort tonight,” Sacramento State head coach Ruben Volta said. “Everyone played well at times, and this was a really good match to watch. We are 9-0 in conference, but there is still a lot of volleyball to be played this season. We’ve been taking things match by match, and not getting ahead of ourselves. Hopefully, we are able to keep this streak going.”
Four Hornet starters hit at least .375, including Brown, rightside hitter Sarah Davis (7 kills, .462 hit%), middle blocker Brie Gathright (4 kills, .429 hit%) and Kurtz (4 kills, .375 hit%). Kurtz also had 45 assists and five digs, and is now 23 assists shy of becoming the fourth player in school history with 5,000 career assists.
Joining Brown with double figures in kills were Shannon Boyle (11 kills, match-high 18 digs) and Nocetti (11 kills). Boyle is now just 48 kills shy of notching her 1,000th career kill. Libero Brigitte Murdock added 13 digs, and Takeda had nine digs and two aces. Her second and final ace came at a crucial time with the Hornets leading 23-22 in the third set.
Idaho had three players record double figures in kills, comprised of Sarah Sharp (15 kills, .351 hit%), Kaela Straw (14 kills, .400 hit%) and Reece Carman (10 kills, .450 hit%).
The Hornets will play the second leg of their four-game road trip at Eastern Washington on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Press Release
Courtesy of Idaho Athletics
The Idaho Vandals suffered its first home loss of the season Thursday night. The Sacramento State Hornets remained undefeated in the Big Sky Conference, sweeping the Vandals in three sets.
Sacramento State (18-7, 9-0 BSC) closed Idaho’s five-match win streak in the matchup of the two of the top teams in the conference. The Hornets hold a two-match lead over Portland State. The loss drops Idaho into a tie for the top spot in the Big Sky North with North Dakota.
“They [Sacramento State] are a really solid team,” head coach Debbie Buchanan explained. “We talked about that. We always talk about our errors and managing those. Really, that was the difference in the match.”
Idaho (12-8, 7-2 BSC) had a trio of juniors finish the night with double-figure kills. Sarah Sharp led all players with a match-high 15 kills. Kaela Straw was right there with her, recording 14. Reece Carman hit closed with 10 kills while .450 percent.
“We need to get our middles more involved,” Buchanan added. “We have to block the ball a little bit more than we are right now.”
The first set was played evenly throughout. Both sides totaled 17 kills in the opener. The Vandals opened the night hitting .368 percent. Sacramento State was right there as well, hitting .361. The frame included 15 ties and three lead changes. The Hornets were able to tie the match at 19 and record the next point to take the lead, breaking a back and forth pattern. Sharp evened the set at 20, but Sacramento State came back with the next two points. That was enough of a cushion to hold off Idaho in the set, 25-23.
The Vandals looked to be on track to tie the match in the second set. Idaho opened with an 8-4 start to jump out early. Sac State answered with a 12-2 run that pushed the Hornets to a 16-10 lead. Kills from Torrin Crawford and Sharp helped Idaho close the gap late, 23-20. The Hornets recorded the final two points winning the set, 25-20.
The third set played more like the first with 10 ties and three lead changes. Straw totaled six kills in the finale for the Vandals. Idaho used late kills from Sharp, Klaree Hobart and Carman to go on a 3-0 run, regaining a 19-18 lead. The Vandals lead lasted up to 22-21. Sacramento State regained control in the final stretch, using a 4-1 run to clinch the match, 25-23.
Lana Brown led the Hornets with 12 kills and a .632 hitting percentage. Mikaela Nocetti and Shannon Boyle both finished with 11 kills.
The Vandals host Portland State on Saturday. The Vikings swept Eastern Washington in Cheney on Thursday. The match figures to have some significance in the Big Sky Tournament seeding. Both teams hold a 7-2 conference record.
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