The Sacramento State volleyball team is having a successful season with a 16-4 overall record and the only undefeated team (4-0) in the Big Sky Conference after beating Portland State on Saturday, and is now receiving votes in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 coaches poll.

But is this the best season ever? Head coach Debby Colberg said it’s one of the best, but one team is hard to compare to another.

“It’s so hard to compare seasons because the schedules are different.”

In Shannon Roland’s four years at Sac State, she can’t say whether one season has been better than another, but that every year has its highlights, she said.

“Knowing it’s my senior year I’m going to make it my best season,” Roland said. “I think we are going to go a little father this year.”

The Hornets began receiving votes in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 after defeating Long Beach State (which has dropped from the No. 25 spot) and Saint Mary’s. Sac State began the season receiving votes, but fell out of consideration after losing in four games at Arkansas on Aug. 31. Colberg said getting votes is something nice to see, but not something to get worked up about.

“It’s people’s opinions, which is nice, but it doesn’t define who we are,” she said. “It’s a minor acknowledgment of our success, but nobody really cares, I think.”

Junior Lindsay Haupt agrees with Colberg.

“We have to struggle and fight harder,” she said. She doesn’t think Sac State has the history other high-ranking schools have.

The 3-0 win over Portland shows other teams that the Hornets are tough, according to a few Hornet players.

“We made a statement of beating them in three,” senior Kristin Lutes said. She said the match was close with the first two games scores 30-27 and 32-30, but the final match “(Portland) rolled over and died,” with a score of 30-16.

“By beating (Portland) in three it shows we are on top, the No. 1 team (in the Big Sky) and (other teams) should watch out, because we are going to get first place,” Roland said.

“With us being No. 1, more teams are going to be out to beat us,” Haupt said.

Now that Sac State is No. 1 in the Big Sky, the team knows that it’s a long season and there are still plenty of away matches before the end. Colberg knows much more work is ahead of the Hornets.

“There is a lot of playing in the Big Sky and a lot of work to be done,” she said. Talent-wise, the 2006 team is leading the Big Sky in blocks and digs behind some big names like Haupt, Michelle Franz and Lutes, who are no strangers to high rankings. Senior Leah Klemenhagen and freshman Anna Schoener have added to the Hornets’ success, Colberg said.

“Anna and Leah have been blocking the balls,” she said. “It’s fun to watch them get better.”Colberg said her team isn’t too different from last year, but has gotten better.

“We are just a little more talented,” Colberg said. “They are stronger, smarter. We are solid everywhere and play good defense.” The team is eighth in the nation in blocks per game, 11th in digs per game and the only squad to rank with the nation’s top 30 in both digs and blocks per game.

The defensive stats were a bit of a surprise to Colberg since this isn’t the best defensive team she’s seen.

“That’s surprising that we are that high,” she said. “This isn’t one of my best teams in defense, but we are known for ball control. In the years we were higher (in digs) we didn’t have (high number in) blocks.”

Lutes said that her team-leading 426 digs, “means I’m doing my job.”

But it’s not always about the defense. A team must post good numbers in the offense as well. Sac State has the defensive numbers, but might need a little boost offensively.

“It’s nice to be high (in the defensive rankings), but the hitting percentage and kills,” Colberg said. “I would suspect would be the best thing to have for a potent offense.”

Karyn Gilbert can be reached at [email protected]