The Sacramento State Hornets women’s volleyball beat Northern Arizona today 3-1 (8-26, 19-25, 26-24, 25-23). 

This is the Hornets first win at home, making them 3-12 in the Big Sky Conference. Northern Arizona is second in the southern division of conference with a 10-5 record now. 

The Hornet started off the game with a close match against the Lumberjacks, battling for the win at 28-26. The women hit .185 in the first set, with 54 attacks and 16 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Madeline Cannon led the team in this set hitting .600 with 10 attacks and 6 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Stanley also hit well at .300. 

Head Coach Ruben Volta said the team set the tone for the game right away with its defense. The Hornets won a lot of rallies in the first set and Volta said that instantly helped their confidence and loosen them up. 

“We played so steady and so hard and we started off the match defensively really, really well and that kind of set the tone for us,” Volata said.

Captain and junior outside hitter Sloan Lovett agreed confidence was key in tonight’s match. Lovett stated the team really wanted a home win and it was great they got it against the No. 2 team in the Big Sky southern division.

“I think we just came out with a lot of confidence, and if we have confidence we can play our hardest and play really well,” Lovett said.

The second set was Northern Arizona’s only win with a score of 19-25. The Hornets had 8 errors and .135, the most errors and lowest hitting average for the squad. The women had 52 attacks and 15 kills in the second set. The Lumberjacks hit .286 with only two errors. Cannon led the Hornets, hitting .412, with sophomore Kendall LaVine close behind hitting .333.

Stanley said her team’s confidence never wavered and whenever Northern Arizona got a little momentum the Hornets told one another to stay calm and keep talking to one another.

“I think that we played really aggressive and weren’t cautious, and we played really confident and that really helped us,” Stanley said.

The third set was the second win for the Hornets at 26-24. The women had 48 total attacks and converted 17 kills. Hitting .229 with six errors the Hornets pulled through for the win. LaVine led the team in the third hitting .600, and Cannon hitting .292.

The fourth set was the last one of the game, the final win for the Hornets at 25-23. The women hit their highest at .262, with 42 attacks and 17 kills. LaVine hit .667 and Cannon hitting .333. 

Tonight’s match was the Hornets first win at home. The women are now 8-22 overall and 3-12 in the Big Sky. Northern Arizona is 10-5 in conference. 

Cannon said her team’s relentless aggressiveness earned them their first home win today. Cannon said her team came out with a lot of energy today and deserved tonight’s match win.

“It feels so amazing and long overdue, well deserved, and we worked really hard this game,” Cannon said.