Volleyball goes 1-2 at Fresno Invite
September 24, 2002
The Sacramento State women’s volleyball team went 2-2 in their final four preseason matches, including a 1-2 finish at the Fresno State University Quadrangular Tournament last weekend.
By breaking even last week, they finish the preseason at 9-5 and set their sights on the beginning of conference play on Wednesday. Head coach Debby Colberg had mixed feelings about her team’s performance last week.
“I was satisfied with the two wins. Anything more would have been icing on the cake,” Colberg said. “But I wasn’t pleased with the quality of our play. At no time did I think we played at the top of our game.”
The week started last Tuesday when Sac State faced the San Jose State Spartans in San Jose. The Hornets won the match 3-1 thanks in part to a strong game from sophomore outside hitter Sandra Bandimere. Bandimere followed up a career-high 15 kills against Butler University on Sept. 12, by posting a new career-high of 21 kills against the Spartans.
Bandimere’s strong game was solidified by the performance of several of her teammates. Junior middle hitter Kazmiera Imrie had 11 kills, eight digs and eight blocks. Not to be outdone, sophomore middle hitter Emily Watson recorded 10 kills, six digs and eight blocks of her own.
Senior outside hitter Jayme Wright had seven kills and 20 digs. Junior setter Lisa Beauchene had 47 assists and 16 digs to go along with a .500 hitting percentage.
Following the win in San Jose, Sac State took their momentum to Fresno, where they participated in the Fresno State tournament on Friday and Saturday. What started as a promising weekend soon took a downward turn as the Hornets ultimately went 1-2 over the two-day tournament.
On Friday the Hornets took on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. They won the match, but were taken to the limit in just their third five-game match of the season.
Beauchene had double figures in three statistical categories and barely missed double figures in a fourth. She also reached her second triple-double of the season. Beauchene had 10 kills, 50 assists, 15 digs and seven blocks. She was one of four Hornets that finished with double figures in kills, and one of five who finished with double figures in digs.
Wright had a double-double, with 20 kills and 10 digs. Imrie and Bandimere had 15 and 14 kills respectively to round out a statistically dominant win for the Hornets.
“Lisa has a lot of responsibility on the court and she has continued to play consistently,” Colberg said.
On Saturday, Sac State faced the No. 26 University of San Diego in the morning match-up and host Fresno State University in the evening matchup. Unfortunately, the wins from the day before were not carried over to Saturday, and the Hornets were swept 3-0 in both matches.
Against San Diego, Sac State hit just .175 and had only 38 kills over the three games. Imrie led the Hornets with 11 kills. Senior outside hitter Trina Book, who played well when Wright struggled, had 12 digs and Beauchene had a spectacular .700 hitting percentage, marking her sixth-consecutive match with a hitting percentage of .400 or better.
“I’m using a lot of players this season, and that’s unusual, but as long as we’re going well, I will use a lot of players,” Colberg said. “We have a lot of similar players, and that allows us to go to the bench more if we need it.”
In their final match of the tournament, the Hornets faced host Fresno State. Again, they were swept 3-0 and dominated in almost every category. As a team, they had a season-low three blocks and had just a .137-hitting percentage. Bandimere had 12 kills for the Hornets, while Wright, junior outside hitter Ali Matthewson and junior defensive specialist Olivia Thomas each had double figures in digs.
“We really struggled with our confidence,” Colberg said. “We lost 3-0, 3-0, and I think we could have gotten wins against each of those teams.”
The end of the preseason brings some tough realizations for Colberg.
“The lack of experience is hurting us right now,” Colberg said. “But this is great experience. We want to know our weaknesses. We want it all to come out now so we aren’t surprised by it later.”
The good news for Sac State is that they now begin a four-match homestand on Wednesday when they face the University of San Francisco at Hornet Gym.
“It’s important at this point for the team to understand that it really is easier to win at home. We are really having problems with our confidence and that’s what this homestand is going to help us with,” Colberg said.
