Sac State volleyball team wins Sacramento State Invitational

Hornets begin season with 2-1 record

Ian Edwards

Sac State senior outside hitter Sarah Davis spikes the ball on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Nevada at the Nest. Davis was named tournament MVP and to the All-Tournament team.

Robyn Dobson

The Sacramento State women’s volleyball team lost the final game of the Sacramento State Invitational to the University of Nevada in four sets Saturday but were still able to capture the tournament title.

Sac State, Nevada and Canisius College all finished the invitational with an overall record of 2-1. The Hornets were named the tournament champions after several tiebreakers that ended with the point differential between the three teams being the deciding factor.

The Hornets’ only loss came in the final game of the tournament to Nevada, three sets to one.

“I think we played hard, (but) Nevada played really well,” Sac State head coach Ruben Volta said. “I don’t think we executed very well at some crucial times, but I thought we played really hard.”

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The Hornets started out the tournament strong, sweeping Canisius in three sets on Friday and taking down California State University, Bakersfield 3-2. 

Senior outside hitter Sarah Davis showed up in a big way for the Hornets, posting 12 kills and 10 digs against Canisius and a match-high 18 kills against Bakersfield. 

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Several freshmen also made their collegiate debuts on Friday, including Kayla Subbert who recorded five kills against Canisius. 

“I think it was really good to see the freshman come in and take care of business,” Sac State junior Cianna Andrews said. “We see them all the time in practice, so it’s really good to see them in a game.” 

Sac State held the lead for much of the first set against Nevada, winning 25-22. Nevada came back and took the next two sets, winning both 25-20.

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Both teams had several match points during the fourth set. Nevada ultimately prevailed with a final score of 29-27, winning the game. Sac State finished the game with 82 digs and 12 team blocks. 

“I think today’s game (against Nevada) went really well,” Davis said. “We fought really hard. They were a really aggressive team. We had some highs and lows. We’re a younger team, so we are still working through some kinks.”

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Davis and Andrews led the team against Nevada with 17 kills and eight kills, respectively. Davis also recorded 11 digs and four aces. 

Both Andrews and Davis were named to the All-Tournament team, with Davis being named as the tournament MVP. 

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“I think all weekend Sarah Davis and Cianna both played really well,” said Volta. “Cianna Andrews, in the middle, I think she had a really good tournament and Sarah Davis played really well.”

The Hornets now go on a long road trip for the 12 next games and won’t return to the Nest until Oct. 3 against Southern Utah University.

“I think (the) preseason is going to be really challenging, but I think it’s going to push us and really get us ready for (Big Sky) conference (play),” Davis said.

The Hornets play at rival University of California, Davis in their next game Tuesday.