Nicole Bee

Sacramento State has a strong volleyball team that has awesome players who can do big things this season, but there are some areas to improve on.

The communication within the team on the court is sorely lacking. If more people communicated on the court, there would be less confusion. Every player, whether in the game or not, should be yelling if the ball is in bounds or not.  Sideline players can be a big help just with better communication.

Another vital improvement for the team is starting the match off strong. If a team loses the first two games and then wins the third and fourth. It is setting itself up for a fight in the fifth game. The recent game against UC Davis is a perfect example. Davis won the first two games of the match, then Sac State won the next two games of the match. That forced Sac State to play with its back against the wall during the fifth game, which lead to the loss. If the team can start off strong and win at least one of the first two games, they would have an easier time winning the match. The Hornets need to eat their Wheaties and start off like champions.

There are two ways to play on the court: playing to win and playing to stay in the game. Both communication and a strong start can help a team play to win.

Nicole Bee can be reached at [email protected].

 

AJ Taylor

It was upon the shoulders of quarterback Jeff Fleming that the Hornets came to achieve the greatest feat accomplished by any gridiron gang from Sacramento State. In all the seasons played since it was established in 1947, Sac State’s win over Oregon State marked the Hornets’ biggest triumph.

And it will be those same shoulders to carry the Hornets to the FCS playoff bracket in November.

Ask me what will win the Causeway Classic this season. I’ll tell you Bryan Hilliard, but until the Aggies get to Hornet Stadium, Fleming is this team’s crux.

Fleming produced 257 yards passing and led the team in rushing yards in the Hornet’s season opener against Oregon State. His three touchdown passes, including the duo of overtime throws – touchdown over the middle and fade route hook-up in the right corner for the game-winning two-point conversion to Brandyn Reed – helped to win the game in Corvallis.

This monster performance won Fleming the Big Sky Conference and National Player of the Week award. And it will take that same leadership from Fleming to lead the Hornets to make good on all the positive predictions after the OSU game.

AJ Taylor can be reached at [email protected].

 

Josh Stanley

If the Sacramento State football team wants to make playoffs, its needs to make drastic changes to its game plan starting with Saturday’s game against the No. 4-ranked Montana State Bobcats.

The Hornets are 2-2 overall with seven games remaining in the season. They need to win at least five of the remaining seven games if they want any realistic shot at the playoffs.

The first thing that needs to be improved is the defense. Through three games, the Hornets have given up 140 points.

There is no way a team can win a game if they are giving up touchdowns on every drive. The Hornets’ main problem is their rush defense. They have given up more than 200 rushing yards twice this year. If they figure out how to stop the run, they will be in position to win more games.

On the other side of the ball, the Hornets are not consistent. The Hornets’ first game was pass heavy and their second game was run-heavy. In the third game of the season, against the Weber State Wildcats, the Hornets had more than 200 yards in passing and rushing.

Last week, the Hornets finally had a balance on offense. Sac State rushed for 238 yards and passed for 224.

If the Hornets fix both these things they could make their first trip to the playoffs.

Josh Stanley can be reached at [email protected].