Some things change and some things stay the same. The Sacramento State volleyball team wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Hornets traveled to the hostile confines of Reese Court on the campus of Eastern Washington University to participate in the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Friday. They left on Saturday with their sixth National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament berth in the last seven years.

Sac State won the tournament championship on by defeating archrival Eastern Washington in a five-game match that head coach Debby Colberg simply called, “a battle.”

The win was Sac State’s fourth in a row and their second in a row over Eastern Washington. It was also the first five-game match win in six tries for the Hornets this season.

Four Sac State players finished with double figures in kills, led by middle hitter Kazmiera Imrie’s 21. Outside hitter Sandra Bandimere contributed 19, while middle hitter Shannon Arts chipped in 13 and outside hitter Jennifer Ferguson had a double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs.

“We won the first game easily,” Colberg said. “Jennifer stepped up and was serving bullets and it really got them on their heels.”Ferguson had two of her three aces in the first game, allowing the Hornets to build a 15-6 lead.

Eastern Washington went on to win games 2 and 3 before Sac State fought back in game 4. Colberg credits a key substitution for evening the match.

“Emily (Wilson) struggled, so we put in Leah (Klemenhagen),” Colberg said. “She didn’t do anything spectacular on offense or on the block, but she has a serve that’s a bit softer than usual and it falls shorter than a normal serve. It threw them off their game.”

As the fifth and deciding game loomed, Colberg said her team was not intimidated, nor were they thinking about their less-than-stellar record in five-game matches.

“Before that game, we were in the huddle and I was prepared to tell them to stay focused, but there was a fire in all of their eyes,” Colberg said. “I didn’t have to say anything.”

The Hornets took the game, and the title, with a 15-6 win and a .440 hitting percentage.

Even though Sac State has beaten Eastern Washington for the tournament championship in each of the last two years, Colberg still considers the win an upset.

“They should have won that match,” Colberg said. “They were in control and they let it slip away.”

The Hornets advanced to the championship match by sweeping Idaho State University the night before. It was easier than expected.”They have the talent to be competitive,” Colberg said. “They just haven’t matured as a team yet.”

Sac State now awaits news of their opponent in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Brackets and dates will be announced on Dec. 1 on ESPNews. Whomever they face, the Hornets will have their work cut out for them.

Due to seeding rules, teams such as USC, UCLA and Stanford are likely opponents for Sac State.

“They don’t seed the tournament nationally. It’s done regionally,” Colberg said. “Until they change the way they seed, we’re always going to be in a very tough region. It’s going to be hard, but you never know what can happen.”