The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet

Student news without fear or favor
The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet

The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet

Student news without fear or favor
Esti Kovalchuk, a business admin major at Sac State, takes a break from her studies to enjoy a moment in the sun in front of the library on Monday, April 11, 2022. After leaving the country four years ago, Kovalchuk said the news of recent Russian attacks on Ukraine have been scary to witness second-hand.

‘People being killed left and right’: Ukrainian student’s social media fills with troubling scenes from home

Casey Rafter April 28, 2022

It was just after 5 a.m. in Ukraine when the Russian army launched its first attacks on the country on Feb. 24, 2022.   Business Administration major Esti Kovalchuk, who has only been in the U.S....

The An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States student panel on Wednesday, March 9 in the University Union Hinde Auditorium.Photo Credit: Christopher Castenada

Student panel discusses holes in American history curriculum

Anna Agundez March 16, 2016

Students and historian present holes in academic history discipline on Wednesday March 9 in Hinde Auditorium in the University Union Last fall Chiitaanibah Johnson, a sophomore history major of...

Mills College makes history

Alexis Atwood September 11, 2014

Mills College, an all-women’s college in Oakland, has let history walk through its front doors as it is the first of the 119 single-sex colleges in the country to ever consider accepting transgender...

Sac State organizations host events for Black History Month

Justyce Mirjanovic February 11, 2014

Every year, Sacramento State celebrates Black History Month in an effort to educate students about the importance of black history and all that African-Americans have accomplished.”[As students] become...

Sac State students celebrate the history of Cinco de Mayo

Isabel Ward May 5, 2013

The well-celebrated Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo, has spread food, festivities and mariachi bands across the bordering state of California. But at Sacramento State, some students are well aware of the...

Hornet sophomore pitcher No. 25 Caitlin Brooks pitches to Weber State on Saturday at Shea Stadium. She finished pitching a complete game while only giving up two hits and striking out 11 batters. 

Longest softball game in Sac State history stopped due to darkness

Clifton Jones April 13, 2013

Sacramento State softball made history in Friday’s double header against Weber State at Shea Stadium.  After 14 and a half innings of play, the second game was called due to darkness with the Hornets...

Sac State is not buying Valentine’s Day

State Hornet Staff February 13, 2013

Part of the Sac State community seems to think Valentine’s Day has grown into a superficial holiday disguised as a heartfelt celebration. Perhaps a short history lesson could shed some light on the subject....

Necessary roughness

State Hornet November 7, 2012

Russell Preston

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While most fans would assume Sacramento State’s fall sport with the largest fan base, in the largest venue, gathering the most attention would be poised for the most success in 2012 (I’m looking at you, football), the sport with the real threat for a conference title should be women’s volleyball.

After finishing the 2011 season with an overall record of 17-15 and a 10-6 Big Sky conference record, finishing third for the Hornets was a step in the right direction after failing to finish above fifth place since 2007.

Women’s volleyball has been one of the strengths of Sac State’s athletic program in the last 15 years. Since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, Sac State has made the Div. 1 NCAA tournament 10 times (six more than any other member of their conference).

Last year, under the leadership of Head Coach Ruben Volta, the team was one of the best in the conference when it came to home-court advantage (8-5 record). In fact, since 1996 the team has posted a 175-48 record on its home court.

What made them so good last year was their team defense. In 2011, the team was ninth in the nation in digs per set (18.39) and 13th in blocks per set (2.76). They were the only team in the nation to rank in the top 35 in both categories.

As for the offense, they finished in the bottom half of the Big Sky conference in kills per set (11.93) and hitting percentage (.171). With Coach Volta implementing a new 6-2 offense, it will allow the setter to stay in the back while three attackers up front can get aggressive.

Although the team lost four of its top players to graduation last spring, there are still doses of optimism with the nine returning players and six newcomers (including two transfer students coming from Div. 1 teams).

It’ll be interesting how the team chemistry develops, but rest assured, this team will be competing for another Big Sky conference title in 2012.

Russell Preston can be reached at [email protected].

Jillian Kweller

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Fall sports are under way and the Sacramento State women’s soccer team has the most potential and promise to take home a conference championship.

After missing the Big Sky conference championships by two places last season, women’s soccer is back with a 30-player roster and the intensity to win.

The women of Hornet soccer have already shown improvements by winning the first game of the season to University of Nevada Reno, which they lost to last year by a score of 2-1.

The players have the agility, strength and endurance to beat every team in the conference as long as they stay consistent, which should not be too hard considering the lengthy roster.

The depth in the roster will allow the players more efficient playing time. If someone is winded and needs a break, the bench is full of fresh bodies to put on the field.

To make the long list of players even more impressive, nine of them are incoming freshman, meaning they are younger, fresher and less injured.

One of the freshmen is Hannah Gendron, a goalkeeper out of Davis. She is replacing 2011 senior Savannah Abercrombie, who gave up 22 goals during the last season.

Gendron gave up only six goals during her varsity season last year in high school and not one goal her 2010 26-game junior varsity season.

Senior forward and team captain Jordan Carlberg will also be a huge contribution to the team this year by looking at last season’s records. She led the team in shots and shots on goal, was second in assists, third in points and fourth in goals.

Overall, Sac State women’s soccer is secure with a variety of diverse players and will be a dominant force in the Big Sky conference this 2012 season.

Jillian Kweller can be reached at [email protected].

James Heck 

The 2011 Sacramento State football team finished with a 4-7 record, but there are reasons to believe a winning season is around the corner. Regardless of the team’s record the previous year, it can adopt a winning mentality if they focus on becoming better today than they were yesterday.

At the start of training camp, there were more than 40 new players vying for a spot on the 2012 Sac State football team.

With the addition of new players comes the question of how they will mesh with the returning members of the team. Football is a team sport, one composed of three facets: offense, defense and special teams.

After losing team leaders such as quarterback Jeff Fleming to graduation, some may view the abundance of new players as a question in regards to building team chemistry and cohesion.

Perhaps it is this new element that will spark a surge in production.

After all, the team is led by Marshall Sperbeck, the sixth-year head coach who led the Hornets to a stunning 29-28 win over the Oregon State Beavers last season. This win marked the first against a Football Bowl Subdivision team in 11 attempts, arguably making it the Hornets’ biggest victory in school history.

The overtime victory against Oregon State gained nationwide attention, and the sense of pride and hope that resulted should be remembered and carried over into this season.

Last season, the Hornets lost three games by seven or fewer points. If the team can work out the kinks of last season, there is reason to believe they can be a winning team this season.

A fuel to light their fire could come from the recent preseason polls released predicting their success, or lack thereof. The Hornets were picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky Conference by the coaches and 10th by the media.

For the players on the football team, a sense of “us against the world” would certainly be an acceptable feeling. And it is this feeling that has often lifted teams out of seeming obscurity and into the spotlight.

James Heck can be reached at [email protected]

Sophomore point guard Dylan Garrity participates in basketball practice on Sept. 24. Last year Garrity was named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year and tied a Sacramento State single-season record by averaging 6.9 assists per game.

Men’s basketball star point guard attempts to avoid sophomore slump

Joe Davis October 31, 2012

How will Sacramento State men’s basketball point guard and 2011 Big Sky Conference Freshman Player of the Year Dylan Garrity avoid a sophomore slump? Garrity will get it done with hard work and a lack...

Football will try and continue its winning streak Saturday against North Dakota

State Hornet Staff September 20, 2012

Sacramento State will welcome one of the newest members of Big Sky football when it kicks off its conference schedule this Saturday at home against the University of North Dakota.For the past four seasons,...

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