Sacramento State completed their four-game homestand in dominant fashion, sweeping both the Idaho Vandals Thursday and the Eastern Washington Eagles Saturday. The latter marks their 700th win since joining the Division I ranks in 1991.
The Hornets also grew their home win streak to seven games and sit tied for second in the Big Sky, just one game back of Northern Arizona.
In game one versus the Idaho Vandals, the Hornets played a precise and methodical first set. Sac State only had three errors with 18 kills on 28 hits, and the Vandals never came within two points of the Hornets, who controlled the set.
Set one was a concerted effort, as freshmen outside hitter Keonahi’ilani Solaita and sophomore outside hitter Victoria Marthaler led the way with six and five kills apiece. Senior middle blocker Ashlynn Archer and senior outside hitter Greta Davis added four and two kills, respectively. Sophomore middle blocker Skyler Gartin also added one kill.
The Vandals only had nine kills in set one and were held to a .208 hitting percentage. The Hornets cruised to a 25-18 win in set one.
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“We came out strong. We knew we needed to do this,” Marthaler said. “We knew they were capable of taking it.”
In set two, Marthaler started to heat up, going off for eight kills. Solaita, Archer, Davis and Gartin all scored again as well.
The Hornets also had four aces, with junior libero Reese Ampi accounting for two of them. Archer and Ampi really made their presence felt defensively, combining for several crucial blocks and digs that kept rallies alive.
Reese Ampi’s perfect dig leads to Kate Doorn setting up Ashlynn Archer for a textbook kill to take the lead 9-8 pic.twitter.com/GZmtlS3Y2k
— Alex Grado (@AGknwID) October 27, 2025
Set two saw four early lead changes before the score evened up at eight. Sac State had a 3-0 run to make the score 11-8.
The Hornets had another 4-0 run shortly after to make it 17-10 and never looked back, winning set two 25-18. Sac State had the advantage in kills 15 to the Vandals’ 10.
Idaho started out set three with a 5-3 lead, but that was the peak for them. Marthaler and Solaita answered back, tying it at five.
Sac State had a dominant 16-4 run to bring the score to 19-10. The Hornets and Vandals traded every point to close out the set, giving the Hornets a 25-15 win to complete the sweep.
Archer continued her great performance, turning multiple blocks into kills. The Hornets had five blocks, and the Vandals only had one.
Here’s a mini highlight reel for Ashlynn Archer who really set the tone in that final set.
The Hornets won 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-15) pic.twitter.com/WWpE4mZF7k
— Alex Grado (@AGknwID) October 27, 2025
Going into the last game, the Hornets faced an Eastern Washington team that ranked last in the Big Sky, with a 0-8 record in conference play.
The Hornets knew what they had to do, dominating and winning every set with a score of 25-16. The game lasted just under an hour and twenty minutes.
“I feel like coming out strong and winning that first set really does a lot for you,” Marthaler said.
The Eagles began set one on a six-point run to take the lead, 11-9, but it was short-lived. Three of the four total lead changes in the entire game were all before point 12. Sac State overwhelmed the Eagles with seven blocks in the first set alone.
Marthaler led the way with 10 kills; Archer, Doorn, Gartin and Solaita all scored. The Hornets coasted to the first 25-16 victory in set one.
In set two, the Eagles had their last lead of the game at 1-0. After that, it was all Hornets all the way.
Sac State had a six-point run and a seven-point run in set two, securing the 25-16 win again. Senior setter Kate Doorn had 14 assists, and junior middle blocker Karlie Spohn got two kills. Spohn returned to the lineup three games ago after missing the beginning of the season battling an injury.
Set three saw a lot of fresh faces on the court for Sac State, but that made no difference. They went on a 6-0 run at one point, with four different Hornets scoring to make the score 14-6.
The teams traded points, with the Eagles never fully threatening Sac State. The Hornets rolled to a comfortable win 25-16, clinching the sweep.
Now here’s the final home game before the Hornets go on a quick road trip@SacStateVB vs. Eastern Washington
After being down 4-0, this great exchange ends with a Victoria Marthaler tip for the point to bring the score 4-3 pic.twitter.com/cnjKxxQUn4
— Alex Grado (@AGknwID) October 27, 2025
Even with the lineup changes, head coach Ruben Volta said the team maintained the same level of intensity.
“We made some changes, and I think all the players who were in played hard and did a nice job,” Volta said.
The Hornets will begin their two-game road trip Thursday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. against the Idaho State Bengals. This road trip will also feature the return of Victoria Marthaler to her former school, Weber State.
“I can’t wait to go there and play Weber, to be in the atmosphere again,” Marthaler said.
Both games will stream on ESPN+.
