Sandra Bandimere continued her assault on Big Sky Conference competition Thursday night with 24 kills and 22 digs in Sacramento State’s 3-1 (30-22, 30-27, 28-30, 30-20) win over Montana at the Hornets Nest.

“I just don’t like the other team, whoever we’re playing,” the senior outside hitter and team captain said. “I’m very competitive; it’s just in my nature.”

There was plenty of competition for Sac State (19-6, 7-2 Big Sky) as the Grizzlies (5-15, 2-8) came out much more aggressive than the first time the two teams met this season, a 3-0 win for the Hornets in Missoula, Mont on Oct. 2.

“We were more aggressive tonight and (Sac State) is a hard team to do that against,” Montana head coach Nikki Best, now in her fifth year with the program, said. “We’re starting to come on and are playing much stronger in the second half (of the season).”

The Grizzlies notched their first wins in conference at home last weekend at home taking out both Weber State (4-20, 2-7) and Idaho State (9-14, 2-7).

Senior setter Stephanie Gamst, who dished out 58 assists on the night, toed the service line to begin the match as the Hornets flew out to a 6-0 lead early in game one, benefiting from four Montana attack errors. Bandimere took over from there, dropping ten kills in the first game alone, attacking from all over the court; front row, back row, up the middle or off the side, Bandimere was an equal opportunity spiker in game one also posting a .444 hitting percentage.

“(Hitting from the back row) is definitely part of our offense, but it’s also an outlet if Stephanie doesn’t think she can go anywhere else,” Bandimere said.

The Hornets closed out the first game on an Emily Wilson service ace, 30-22.

Sac State held a seemingly safe lead at 22-13 late in game two, only to witness an eleven point service run from the Grizzlies’ Claudia Houle, who ended the match with a team-high 16 kills. The Hornets committed six attack errors in the run while Montana’s Jessica Peterson put down two kills in that span.

Down 24-22, Sac State regrouped and put together an 8-3 run to close spurred on by Gamst who had four assists and a kill to end the game and send the Hornets into the locker room with a 2-0 lead at intermission.

“I try to spread the ball around, especially to the middle, my coaches have gotten on me about that recently,” Gamst said.

Despite the 2-0 deficit, the Grizzlies came out of the locker room and put together their best game of the match, taking advantage of Hornet errors and turning them into points. Sac State did put together a string of points at the end however, as they came back from down 25-18 to within a point at 29-28 on a kill by freshman Lindsay Haupt, who continued her hot hitting, posting a .458 hitting percentage and 14 kills.

The Grizzlies closed out the game on the very next play however, on a kill from senior Audrey Jensen. It was the first time the Hornets surrendered a game in conference at the Nest since Portland State on Nov. 4 2003, a match Sac State won in four games.

“We seemed satisfied to give them a game at home and they seemed satisfied to win just that one game,” head coach Debby Colberg said. “(Montana) played very well defensively, which they haven’t done in a few years and that made this a very entertaining match.”

If the Hornets were satisfied, it sure didn’t show at the open of game four. Sac State played like a team with something to prove, jumping out to a 17-4 lead to open the frame, which featured a stretch of four aces in five points for senior outside hitter Jackie Coudert.

From there Sac State rode its highest single-game hitting percentage of the night at .320 to a 30-20 victory in the game and took the match in front of a sparse crowd of 276 which did feature a very boisterous cheering section from Whiterock Elementary School, attending as part of the ticket to college program.

All match long the group of about 20 youngsters was the loudest and most rambunctious fan section in the Nest.

“They were really cute,” Gamst said. “I love it when those groups come out to our matches.”

The Hornets will play another school from the ‘Big Sky country’ Saturday night as they host Montana State at 7 p.m. in the Nest.