It was supposed to be a battle for Big Sky Conference supremacy, but Friday night?s volleyball match against Weber State turned out to be a rout.

Sacramento State defeated the Wildcats 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-22) to claim the top spot in the Big Sky Conference and left no doubt that they have become the team to beat.

The Hornets remained red-hot after yet another sweep of Idaho State Saturday at Hornet Gym.

“We?re the best team in the conference, no question,” junior Jayme Wright said.

Both teams seemed very loose at the outset, but it was the Hornets who demonstrated poise, confidence and timely offensive play throughout the match.

“We felt we would win all along and we never panicked, even when they made a run,” Wright said. “We played smooth volleyball tonight, and this was a giant step in our goal of a championship.”

Wright led the onslaught for the Hornets, hitting a team-high .459 and adding a match-high of 19 kills. Wright also contributed defensively with a team-high of 13 digs.

“Jayme had her ?A? game tonight,” head coach Debby Colberg said. “She didn?t miss anything tonight, played well on both ends and she was really a rally breaker.”

Wright received plenty of help as the Hornets hit .292 for the match. Senior Alison Gahr chipped in with 11 kills while hitting .421 and sophomore Kazmiera Imrie added 10 kills and nine digs. But it was Wright?s timely offensive and defensive efforts that led the Hornets.

The match started off close, as neither team could grab a lead larger than three points until a timeout was called at 16-13. Weber State coach Al Givens saw a momentum shift and tried to stop it. The timeout didn?t help as the Hornets pulled away from the Wildcats, winning 30-23.

Game two was much the same. Both teams held a small lead twice, neither able to pull away from the other until another timeout started a run.

This time, coach Colberg stopped the action and the Hornets went on a 4-0 run after.

“That was just to remind the team of the game plan,” Colberg said. “We forgot what we wanted to do right after I told them. And I thought we were making the easy plays way too difficult.”

Sac State eventually won game two, 30-28, after a furious run by the Wildcats. Down 26-19, the Wildcats gained momentum and cut the lead to 29-28. Sac State won the last two points of the game to take the second set.

The final game was simply no contest, as Sac State showed no signs of letting up. Weber State jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but that was quickly gone.

The Hornets found a weakness in the Wildcats? service-return defense in Stephanie Kropushek.and worked on it, grabbing a lead and pulling away for a 30-22 win.

“On film, we saw that she was their best return player,” Colberg said.”But tonight she accommodated us and she really couldn?t get out of her rut, so we kept working the serve to her side.”The Hornets now stand alone atop the Big Sky Conference, but Colberg warned all is not safe.

“We can?t afford to get too far ahead of ourselves,” Colberg said. “We beat a very good team offensively and defensively, but there is always room for improvement. It?s too long of a season to be thinking championship now.”