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THE WEEK AHEAD

• Sacramento State (4-5) enters its final week of the non-conference portion of the schedule.

• The Hornets will compete at this week’s Battle of NorCal, hosted by San Jose State. Sacramento State will play twice during tournament play – Friday at San Jose State at 4 p.m., followed by Saturday vs. Cal at 2 p.m. All matches will be played at Spartan Gym.

• Both matches are the finale of the non-conference schedule. Next week, Sacramento State will make its debut in the Big West Conference with a pair of home matches on Thursday and Saturday.

• The Hornets had spent the previous 30 years in the Big Sky Conference.

• Sacramento State is coming off a 1-2 performance at the Boise State Invitational, in which the Hornets beat Saint Mary’s (3-1), but lost to both Eastern Washington (3-2) and Boise State (3-0).

• The win over Saint Mary’s was the second in eight days against the Gaels, as the Hornets defeated SMC, 3-2, at home on Sept. 5 as part of the Sacramento State Invitational.

• Friday’s match will stream for a fee at MW+, and there is no stream for Saturday’s matchup vs. Cal.

• Sacramento State’s victory over Saint Mary’s on Saturday marked the team’s first away from home. The Hornets are 3-0 at home, 0-2 on the road, and 1-3 at neutral sites. Of the team’s nine matches thus far, five have gone to five sets. Sacramento State is 2-3 in those five-set affairs.

• San Jose State enters the week with a 5-4 overall record. The Spartans have yet to lose at home this season (3-0), including wins over Portland, Pacific and LSU New Orleans. The Hornets are 11-9 all-time against the Spartans, including wins in eight of the last 12 matchups. Friday’s meeting will be the first between the two teams since a four-set Hornet win in 2023 at the Nest. Sacramento State is 5-2 in San Jose, and had won five straight on the Spartans’ home floor until a 2021 loss.

• Cal is 8-1 after beating UC Davis at home Wednesday in five sets. The Bears’ lone loss was a five setter at Saint Mary’s – a team the Hornets have beaten twice this season. Cal has yet to lose on a neutral floor, including wins against Loyola-Chicago and San Diego State. Sacramento State is 3-8 all-time against the Bears, and the teams have never met on a neutral floor. The squads have not met since a Cal home win in 2011. Prior to that, Sacramento State had won three straight in the series (1996, 1997, 1998).

• The victory over Nevada on Sept. 3 gave head coach Ruben Volta his 300th career victory. In his 19th season, Volta is now 303-264. That includes 20-plus wins each of the last three seasons. Volta has been a member of the Hornet coaching staff for 26 years, beginning as a volunteer assistant in 2000.

• Libero Reese Ampi is 64 digs shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. Two weeks ago, setter Makenna Wiepert, who spent her first three years at UTSA, notched her 1,000th career assist. She now has 1,120.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Friday’s match at San Jose State will stream for a fee on MW+. There will be no video stream on Saturday because of a scheduling conflict. Live stats will be offered for both matches.

• Links for video and live stats can be found 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.

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-America, Solaita was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and Ampi was the Big Sky Libero of the Year.

• Both Marthaler and Ampi are 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 enters 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.

PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF

• Six-rotation outside hitter Victoria Marthaler, coming off a huge season, has been named all-tournament at all three tourneys this year. That includes a co-MVP choice at the Sacramento State Invite.

• 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 has posted at least 12 kills in every match this season. Her 181 points rank third in the nation, and 162 kills rank fourth. Her average of 4.15 kills per set ranks second in the Big West.

• 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.

FROM THE SERVICE LINE

• Sacramento State’s 71 aces rank 23rd in the nation. The Hornets have posted double-figure aces in five of nine matches, and have registered at least seven aces in all but two contests.

• The Hornets have three players ranking among the Big West’s top 10 in aces per set. That includes Makenna Wiepert (3rd with 0.41), Amy Ito (5th with 0.36) and Eleanor Weeks (9th with 0.33).

IMPRESSIVE HORNET DEBUTS

• Three Hornet newcomers have either started all nine matches (setter Makenna Wiepert, middle blocker Nikola Gamlin) or eight matches (rightside hitter Mia Molnar).

• Wiepert, a junior transfer from UTSA, has double-doubles in six matches already. She came to the Hornets with zero double-doubles at her previous stop. She ranks among the Big West’s top three players in assists (3rd with 8.23 aps) and aces (3rd with 0.41 aps). Those assist numbers would be even better if the Hornets did not start five of their matches in 6-2 offense.

• Freshman middle blocker Nikola Gamlin has been very impressive. She ranks fifth in the Big West with a .317 hitting percentage and is averaging 1.74 kills and 0.79 blocks per set. She has recorded at least eight kills in seven matches, including three times in double figures (season-high 11 vs SMC).

• Freshman rightside hitter Mia Molnar has at least three blocks in six matches, including five vs. both Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s. Molnar is averaging 1.42 kills and 0.71 blocks per set. She had a season-best nine kills twice in the last four matches (vs. Saint Mary’s and Eastern Washington).

NOTABLES

Middle blocker Skyler Gartin is fifth in the Big West in blocks (1.21 bps) and 10th in hitting percentage (.304). She has combined for 29 blocks over the last four matches…libero Reese Ampi has 19+ digs in four of the last six matches, and now ranks fifth in the Big West with 3.56 digs per set. She is also just 64 digs shy of 1,000 for her career…outside hitter Keonahi’ilani Solaita has posted 10+ kills in three of her last four matches after being limited to back row play (injury) in her first four matches of the year.