It’s not always the starters that decide wins and losses.

Sometimes it’s the players that are always on the ready, the ones called upon in special situations: the role players.

When starting middle hitter Emily Wilson was forced to leave Sacramento State’s match against archrival Eastern Washington on Saturday afternoon after catching an elbow to her eye, freshman Lindsay Haupt knew she would get the call.

“My first thought was ‘Oh no, it’s Emily,'” Haupt said. “But then I told myself to get focused and get ready because I knew it would be me going in.”

Haupt responded to the call, dropping seven kills, a .400 hitting percentage and four blocks, including one to end the second game.

“We’re fortunate to have a Lindsay Haupt to come into games,” head coach Debby Colberg said. “In reality we have four good middles with Leah (Klemenhagen) as well.”

As it turned out, the Hornets used every player against Eastern in a 3-0 (30-26, 30-27, 3-22) victory that catapulted them from third place in the Big Sky Conference to a three-way tie for first with Montana State (13-4, 4-1 Big Sky) and Eastern (9-6, 4-1).

“It was important to win this match and win it in a sweep,” Colberg said. “I didn’t tell the players that, I didn’t want it in their heads, but this was important.”

Sac State swept the Eagles despite being out-hit (.172-.155), out-dug (67-64) and out-blocked (7-6). Eastern junior outside Lizzy Mellor led all players with 13 kills and Hornets’ senior outside hitter Sandra Bandimere led her team with 12.

Hornets’ sophomore libero Kristin Lutes had a match-high 20 kills and that’s exactly what she wanted.

“Whenever we play Eastern my goal is to out-dig their libero,” Lutes who had been recruited by Eastern Washington said. “I want to show (Eagles’ head coach Wade Benson) what he could have had.”

A Kent, Wash. native, Lutes had wanted to stay in state and play for the Eagles, but Eastern did not offer her a scholarship, something Colberg and assistant Ruben Volta, who recruited Lutes, did.

In Sac State’s victory over Portland State last Thursday it was another Hornet stepping up in expanded playing time.

Senior transfer Jackie Coudert put down five kills in the second frame against the Vikings to go along with four digs. Coudert transferred last year from Division II CSU, Stanislaus for her senior season.

“In Div. I ball you have to play at a higher level and sustain it,” Coudert said. “In Div. II it’s more sporadic, but here you have to be ready to play every match.

“Tonight I just saw the hole (in the opponent’s block) and hit wherever my teammates behind me told me, I couldn’t believe they were going down myself.”

Coudert’s efforts did not go unnoticed.

“Jackie was on fire in that second game,” Gamst said. “It’s fun for me to see her reaction when I set her the ball, she’s so excited and that fires me up.”

Gamst was plenty fired up last Thursday night, hitting a career high .600 as the Hornets won easily 3-0 (30-14, 30-27, 30-17). Gamst was honored as the Big Sky Player of the Week for the first time in her career for her combined efforts over the weekend. The Hornets have not dropped a game in a match they’ve won at the Nest this season and are 7-1 at home.

The efficient hitting of junior Natalie Melcher helped out the cause as the rightside hitter had three kills in four attacks to round out her total of eight kills and a career-high .667 hitting percentage.

Bandimere led the Hornets overall with 12 kills, Vikings’ sophomore outside hitter Jessica Brodie led all players with 14 kills.