Hornets volleyball beat Gaels in fiveState Hornet

It took all five games to get it done, but the Sac State Women’s volleyball team defended their home court Wednesday night beating the Gaels of Saint Mary’s.

Going into the match they were trying to shake off the loss of their last two matches.

“It’s been a struggle,” said Coach Debbie Colberg, “but we decided to sit the freshmen and play the veterans tonight.”

Colberg has been trying new combinations in her lineup recently, and Wednesday night was no exception. Sophomore Jayme Wright hasn’t seen a lot of time on the court this season, but she sparkled in her starting role against the Gaels. Wright racked up a game-high of 25 kills and 27 digs, taking full advantage of the opportunity to play.

“Jayme did a great job,” said captain, Sarah Chlebana.

“She gave a lot of key hits and good serving,” Colberg said.

Another key player in Wednesday’s victory was junior Tasman Dwyer. Dwyer put together a solid performance with 24 kills and at the net, a spectacular eight hard blocks, but her statistics are only a part of her contribution to this team.

“She brings energy and power, we need her presence,” said Colberg.

To the surprise of many, one presence the Hornets didn’t use was that of junior outside hitter, Alison Gahr.

“She’s been in a bit of a slump,” said Colberg. “She has tendonitis in her knees so we decided to let her sit this one out.”

With Saint Mary’s in the books, the team will now focus on their weekend trip to Nevada, where they will try to overcome their early season road woes.

“Traveling gets tiresome, we don’t have our fans and it’s hard to remained focused,” said Wright. “I’m proud of our hard work, we played with a lot of heart and we gave it our all.”

Although Saturday’s game against Nevada will not be a conference match, Colberg thinks that it might just might be what the doctor ordered.

“This team has had some sort of virus so far this season,” She said, “And I think our win may have been the first dose of antibiotics.”