The Sacramento State volleyball team will host the Sacramento State Invitational this weekend. The Invite is an annual tournament that takes place in the Hornets Nest, which is located in Yosemite Hall.

The tournament will consist of matches among Sac State, Cal State Northridge, Manhattan and Oregon State.

“I don’t know about Manhattan but I have had matches against Northridge and Oregon State and I know they have good programs, but I think those two along with ours are good,” coach Debby Colberg said.

In previous years, the Hornets have had a difficult time being crowned champions in their own tournament.

“This year our goal is to win,” Colberg said. Colberg will be retiring at the end of this season, leaving behind a 33-year legacy.

Coming off a second place title at the Mary Jo Wynn Tournament in Missouri, and a first place title at the Academy Sports Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Hornets are on the right path.

“This week we played better than our first weekend. We got the nervousness out and we made nice plays,” Colberg said. “We played with effort and confidence so we are on the right track.”

The Hornets will have to play consistently tough throughout the tournament to come out champions.

“We need to know how hard we need to play and how long we need to play to win. We need to stretch out our good periods for longer time. We also need to play intense for longer,” Colberg said.

The Hornets will take on Oregon State, Friday night at 7:30 p.m. They will come back on Saturday to take on Manhattan at 12:30 p.m. and Cal State Northridge at 7:30 p.m. that night.

Alicia de la Garza can be reached at [email protected].