It has been a roller coaster season for Sacramento State’s women’s volleyball team. However, the Hornets did not end their ride the way they would have wanted to.

The Hornets are still trying to salvage what’s left of their season and finish off the season with a couple of wins after losing to the Montana Grizzles 3-0 Friday and being eliminated from playoff contention.

The Hornets were Big Sky Conference Champions from 2002-07 under former head coach Debbie Colberg.

The task of transitioning and keeping up Colberg’s legacy is up to head coach Ruben Volta, who was an assistant coach under Colberg for seven years and was an associate coach in 2007.

“The transition was easy for me, since I was an assistan coach previously for seven years,” Volta said. “I think it was more so the pressure for me to keep the team at the level that Colberg had them at.”

Montana head coach Jerry Wagner is well aware of the Hornets’ competitiveness.

“We know how successful the Hornets have been in the past and we always try to play up to the same level as them,” Wagner said.

As of Saturday, the Hornets hold a 16-14 overall record and a 6-8 record in the Big Sky Conference this season. The team has had its share of winning and losing streaks. From Sept. 12-24, they won six out of seven games. However, the Hornets did not get off to a great start against Big Sky teams, losing three of their first four Big Sky matches.

The Hornets had a disappointing home stand as they lost to Weber State and Idaho State Nov. 6 and 7. It was the first time the Hornets lost two straight matches at home and the first time Idaho State defeated the Hornets at home.

Volta said the team’s schedule is tougher than last year’s, but the Hornets have managed to still play well.

“We’ve taken really big strides from last year and we’re a lot better in so many statistical categories,” Volta said. “We have obviously won more matches this year but the top-ranked teams that we played seemed to be tougher than years past.”

An area that some players seemed to have struggled with is staying focused during their matches.

“We cannot get comfortable when playing against any team,” said senior setter Melissa Melcher. “When we stay focused throughout a game, we usually win, so that’s what we’re trying to work on for the rest of the season.”

Senior outside hitter Desiree Hoyum acknowledged the struggles the team has gone through, but remained optimistic about the remainder of the season.

“I think we can still prosper from being in a tough position and we know we’ll never give up,” Hoyum said.

Volta is pleased with the performances of his freshman and sophomore players this season.

“The freshman and sophomores this year have improved immensely,” Volta said. “I think that stats clearly show their improvement and the sophomores have improved from their freshmen seasons as well.”

Nick Hunte can be reached at [email protected]