Down 23-20 in the clinching set against the Dartmouth Big Green, sophomore outside hitter Victoria Marthaler’s back-to-back kills sparked a 7-0 run led by herself and senior middle blocker Ashlynn Archer to complete a 3-0 sweep over the Big Green.
Sacramento State’s women’s volleyball team finished with another 2-1 weekend, this time on the East Coast, as they travelled out to Boston, Massachusetts for the first time.
“I think our team is improving every game we play,” junior libero Reese Ampi said. “We all are starting to recognize the standard we want to set for ourselves and for our team.”
Ampi, who was just named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, had a team-high 20 digs in the second game of the tournament Friday against the host team, the Boston College Eagles.
The Eagles came into the game with a 6-0 undefeated record, and the game proved to be a challenge. The Hornets kept it close in the first two sets but were dominated in the third set, ultimately getting swept 3-0.
Congratulations to Reese Ampi – Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week!
• 59 digs in 3 matches
• 31 digs at Utah Tech, most by a Hornet in 3 yrs
• 14 digs vs UC Riverside
• 14 digs at So. Utah
• 0 reception errors in 39 serves sent her wayStory: https://t.co/CplrDbZc30
— Sacramento State Volleyball (@SacStateVB) September 8, 2025
“Reese played really well,” Hornets head coach Robert Volta said. “She’s kept us in games defensively for sure.”
The final game was Saturday against the University of Albany Great Danes. Both teams got out to a hot start and traded leads, before a 4-0 run led by senior outside hitter Greta Davis, Archer and Marthaler.
Game 1: Sac State: 3, Dartmouth: 0
Dartmouth jumped out to a 9-4 lead early on. The Hornets fought their way back, led by three straight kills from Davis, tying it up at 14. After a brief back-and-forth, the score was tied at 17. The Hornets went on a 6-0 run led by freshman middle blocker Kelsey Heffner and freshman outside hitter Keonahi’ilani Solaita to make it 23-17, before closing out the first set 25-20.
“The freshmen are definitely starting to get more comfortable being out on the court,” Archer said. “Trust is definitely growing among all of us.”
Sac State owned set two, growing the lead to as much as 14, taking it 25-12. The third set saw Dartmouth get out to a 13-6 lead, but the Hornets would not give up and brought the score to 15-13. After trading points, the Big Green would be up 23-20 before the Hornets went on the clinching 7-0 run.
“That’s something we’ve struggled with early on,” Archer said. “Being able to stand toe to toe with a team that’s playing well.”
Game 2: Boston College: 3, Sac State: 0
In Game 2, Boston College gave Sac State a bit of a taste of their own medicine. The Hornets kept it close in set one until the Eagles pulled away 25-22.
Set two began with the Hornets jumping out to a 9-4 lead but fell behind after a few bad serves. The Eagles pulled ahead 19-18 and never looked back as they got five of their last six points, thanks to attacking errors by the Hornets. The Hornets lost set two, 25-21.
RELATED: Hornets swarm the Beehive State and leave Utah tournament 2-1
In set three, the Hornets never got within three points of the Eagles, losing the final set 25-16.
“Against Boston College, I thought we played really well the first couple of sets. We battled hard. The third set just got away from us,” Hornets head coach Robert Volta said. “We had some breakdowns in passing a little bit and hitting errors that we weren’t able to stop.”
Hornets fall at Boston College, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-16)
• Archer 11 kills, .556 hit%
• Marthaler 11 kills, 2 aces
• Ampi 20 digs
• Heffner 4 kills, .333 hit%
• Doorn 26 ast, 6 digs
• Davis 4 kills
• Solaita 3 kills, 4 digsNext: Tomorrow vs UAlbany at 8 am PT pic.twitter.com/btl6OHhZxU
— Sacramento State Volleyball (@SacStateVB) September 12, 2025
Game 3: Sac State: 3, UAlbany: 0
On Saturday, the Hornets got back to their winning ways. The first set consisted of each team trading runs. The Hornets took a 20-16 lead, but the Great Danes made a run to tie it at 21. Archer and the defense would lead a 4-0 run to close out the set.
The second set started with the Hornets jumping out to a 7-0 lead and extending it to 19-9. The Great Danes would put a dent in the lead, but the set was never in doubt with the Hornets emerging victorious 25-18.
The Hornets were tested in set three as both teams traded scores. Ultimately, the Hornets kept their composure and consistency, pulling away 25-20 and completing the sweep.
“In that third set, I think we responded really well to the other team playing well,” Archer said. We were able to finish strong and get the sweep.”
Ampi praised the Hornets’ ability to stay composed.
“Our last game was a funky one, but I think our team did a great job of pushing through and getting the job done,” Ampi said.
HORNETS WIN! Sweep UAlbany, 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-20)
• Archer 12 kills, 4 blk, .556 hit%
• Marthaler 9 kills, 8 digs, .304 hit%
• Davis 7 kills, 3 blk, .538 hit%
• Solaita 6 kills, 2 blk
• Weeks 4 kills, .500 hit%
• Ampi 12 digs
• Doorn 17 ast, 5 digs
• Piepho 15 ast pic.twitter.com/UTge80ZPSV— Sacramento State Volleyball (@SacStateVB) September 13, 2025
That resilience has been a theme for the young Hornets throughout the early season.
“We changed the lineups quite a bit and moved some people around,” Volta said. “I thought everybody played pretty well. We’re playing really well at times, but we just got to be more consistent.”
Consistency and chemistry are things players and coaches have preached in the last few weeks.
“Right now, we are working at performing and executing a high level of volleyball for longer periods of time,” Ampi said.
Archer has been the veteran in the center of that effort, providing a steady presence for her teammates to lean on.
“I think some of the younger girls definitely look to myself and the other upperclassmen on the court if things aren’t working in a game,” Archer said. “Having some more experienced players on the court during those tough times kind of brings a calming presence, allows us to stay grounded and push past difficult situations in games.”
That leadership has not gone unnoticed by her peers.
“[Archer] is definitely a game changer,” Ampi said. “If you watch her play, it is very apparent how much of her time she puts into becoming the best player she can be, and it is refreshing to have that competitiveness as a leader and an example.”
Winners of four of their last six games, the Hornets do have a good buzz right now.
They will resume play back at home at The Nest next weekend, kicking off Thursday at 7 p.m. against CSU Bakersfield.
