It happens time and time again in sports ?” from the professional ranks to college to high school to youths. A star player goes down with an injury and their teammates subsequently raise their level of play to make up the difference.

Such was the case on Saturday night in the Big Sky conference volleyball championship match, which the Hornets won 3-1 (24-30, 30-23, 30-26, 30-22) rallying back from an injury to starting outside hitter Jennifer Ferguson.

After dropping the first game but leading the second 9-8, Ferguson came down from an attack approach on an Eastern Washington players’ foot and immediately hit the deck, screaming in pain.

The point was stopped and a dead hush came over the Hornets Nest as Ferguson tried to pull herself up and was attended to by Hornets trainer Lois Mattice.

As her team’s 14-match win streak and stellar season no doubt flashed before her eyes, Debby Colberg turned and looked down the bench to a familiar face.

“Shannon,” the 30th-year coach said, “get ready.”

Shannon Roland, a junior and native of Auburn, shed her warm up jacket faster than Colberg could say ‘sub’ and was up to the head of the bench. She was the starter at the beginning of the year and if not for a clavicle injury a month into the season may have been on Saturday night.

“We joke all the time that we take each other’s playing time because of injuries,” Ferguson said of her best friend on the team who she entered the program with in 2003. “We definitely should not be roommates anymore.”

Roland came in and immediately got a kill to put the Hornets up 10-8. Two points later and she found herself on the service line for five big points to give Sac State a 15-9 lead and, more importantly, momentum.

“They were gonna get it,” Roland said of her teammate being injured at the hands of their rival.

The Eagles didn’t challenge the rest of the way in the second game and appeared shaky from that point on in the match. Eastern committed seven attack errors in the rest of the second game and 25 for the rest of the match.

“It was anybody’s match but we could never get another rhythm going,” Eagles coach Wade Benson said. “We had a double called on every other point.”

After witnessing her fellow starting outside hitter go down with injury, Atlee Hubbard ?” who had four kills in the first game ?” woke up. Over the span of five points Hubbard killed three of them and had many rally-saving digs.

“I knew I needed to pick up my game offensively and defensively,” Hubbard said. “I wanted it more and I went all-out.”

With the score locked up at 18-18 in the fourth game it was Hubbard’s turn to leave her mark. Hubbard served out four points to give the Hornets a 21-18 lead they did not relinquish. Moments later Hubbard notched her 20th kill of the night to secure championship point.

“I was so anxious for the ball to hit the floor,” Hubbard said. “I gave it my all on that swing.”

As Sac State celebrated its seventh Big Sky tournament title in the last nine years at the center of the green and yellow sport court they defended all season Ferguson ?” her ankle taped at this point ?” slowly gathered herself and crutched toward the victory huddle before being swarmed by her fellow Hornets.

“I was overwhelmed and really excited for the team,” Ferguson said. “I just said ‘thank you.'”