The Hornets are currently in second place in the conference standings, two games back of first-place Eastern Washington (18-6, 10-0 Big Sky), with four Big Sky matches remaining on the schedule. The top two teams in the conference standings receive a bye in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament (Nov. 20-22) while the first-place team hosts the tournament. Idaho State (7-4) is currently third in the conference standings, one-and-a-half games behind the Hornets. Sacramento State has finished at least second in the standings every year since joining the Big Sky in 1996.

The Hornets still have a chance at finishing first in the standings, but have to beat Eastern Washington this Saturday and get some help from other teams. Not only does Sacramento State have to make up two games on the Eagles over the final two weeks of the season, but Eastern Washington also holds the tiebreaker by virtue of its victory over Sacramento State earlier this season. The Hornets can only capture the tiebreaker if they sweep Eastern Washington and limit the Eagles to less than 55 points (EWU allowed the Hornets 55 points – 30-19, 30-17, 30-19 – in the teams'' match-up earlier this year).

Eastern Washington is attempting to win the Big Sky regular-season championship for the second-straight season after the Hornets claimed the title five-straight years from 1997-2001. Sacramento State defeated the Eagles in Cheney, Wash., last season in the Big Sky Tournament championship match to receive the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Portland State will enter Thursday''s match with a 13-10 overall record and a 2-8 mark in the Big Sky. The Vikings are battling Weber State (3-8 in the Big Sky) for the sixth and final spot into the conference tournament. Sacramento State defeated Portland State earlier this season, 3-1, and has won each of the last 20 meetings between the two teams. The Hornets have not lost to Portland State since 1988 and hold a 25-10 record in the all-time series between the two teams.

Eastern Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the country, winning each of its last 15 matches and dropping just four games over that span. The Eagles are 9-3 on the road this season, but have lost eight of the last nine meetings against the Hornets in Sacramento. Eastern Washington has been challenged in just one meeting against a Big Sky team this year (3-2 victory at Weber State) as seven of the last eight matches against a conference opponent have resulted in a 3-0 Eagles'' victory. Sacramento State owns a 13-7 all-time series advantage over the Eagles as the two teams have squared off in the Big Sky Tournament championship match each of the last three years.

A Look At Last Week''s Action

Sacramento State recovered from a disappointing loss against Northern Arizona by sweeping Montana State and Montana on the road last week. The victories marked the first time the Hornets had swept the Montana schools on the road since the 1999 season. On Friday night, Sacramento State easily handled the Bobcats (30-28, 30-25, 30-20) before coming back Saturday night to defeat Montana (31-29, 30-14, 30-23). The victory over Montana State snapped a three-match losing streak against the Bobcats in Bozeman, Mont. Sacramento State''s 59 kills at Montana State were the team''s best performance in a three-game match this season. The Hornets limited the Grizzlies and Bobcats to a combined .179 hitting percentage, improving to 14-0 when holding an opponent under .200.

Head Coach Debby Colberg

For the 28th-straight season, Debby Colberg will control the Hornet sidelines. During her tenure, Colberg has posted a 712-259 record (.733 winning percentage) and has led the team to 14 league titles and 22 postseason berths. Her 712 wins rank seventh on the all-time NCAA list (four wins behind UC Santa Barbara''s Kathy Gregory) among active coaches with at least five years of Div. I experience. Last season, Colberg was named the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year for the fifth time in six seasons (1997-98, 2000-02). During her tenure, she has been honored as coach of the year 12 times, including Region Coach of the Year on four occasions. She has led the Hornets to the NCAA Tournament five of the last six years (1997-00, 2002) and has posted 23 career 20-win seasons.

Colberg came to Sacramento State in 1976 and finished 9-8 in her first season. The long coaching sojourn has taken Colberg through the ranks, from AIAW play in the late 1970s, through Division II and now Division I. In 27 years, she has coached just two losing squads and her teams have averaged 25.7 wins per season. The 1989 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year and the coach with the best winning percentage in any sport at Sacramento State, 2003 marks Colberg’s 13th season as a Division I coach. During that time, she has led Sacramento State to winning seasons in 11 of those 12 Division I years.

She also had the added responsibility of serving as Sacramento State’s athletics director from February of 1999 until May of 2002.

Beauchene Makes Her Mark On The Record Books

Sacramento State senior setter Lisa Beauchene was named Big Sky Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, setting a Hornet program record in the process. The Auburn, Wash., native, who also earned the award on Sept. 8, Sept. 15 and Oct. 20, averaged 4.00 kills, 13.17 assists, 2.17 digs and 0.67 blocks per game to go along with a .571 hitting percentage against Montana State and Montana. The team co-captain combined for 24 kills with zero attack errors in 42 total attempts. She hit .667 (12-0-18) against Montana State and .500 (12-0-24) against Montana.

Beauchene, who is now hitting .428 against Big Sky competition this season, tallied 12 kills, 38 assists, four digs and one ace against Montana State. She followed up that effort against Montana with 12 kills, 41 assists, nine digs and three blocks. Despite being a setter, Beauchene has tallied at least eight kills in six-consecutive matches and has hit at least .400 on 14 occasions during the season.

Beauchene’s four conference player of the week awards leaves her one shy of the Big Sky season record of five, set in 1998 by Eastern Washington’s Kim Exner. Beauchene has now received the award eight times during her career (twice in both 2001 and 2002) and is a two-time unanimous first team all-Big Sky selection. Among conference leaders, she is currently third in hitting percentage (.367) and assists (10.72 per game), tied for fifth in service aces (0.31 per game) and seventh in blocks (0.91 per game).

She is just 16 blocks shy of becoming the first player in Sacramento State history to rank among the school’s top 10 career list in kills, digs, assists, hitting percentage, service aces and blocks. She is currently first all-time in hitting percentage (.356), third in assists (4,812), eighth in digs (1,328) and aces (105), 10th in kills (853) and 11th in blocks (308).

20 Wins On The Horizon?

Sacramento State is currently three victories shy of win No. 20 this season. That would extend the Hornets'' streak of 20-win seasons to nine as the team went 18-12 in 1994. Since 1979, the Hornets have recorded at least 20 wins in all but two seasons (the team was 13-19 in its first year of Div. I play in 1991). In addition, the Hornets have yet to lose more than four conference matches in a season since joining the Big Sky. Sacramento State has combined to post a 96-22 record (.814 winning percentage) against conference competition in the regular season.

Home Sweet Home

This week, Sacramento State returns to the friendly confines of the Hornets Nest, where the team is 98-20 since 1995. The Hornets have lost just eight times over the last three-plus years at home, and five of those losses came against ranked opponents (Pacific twice, Santa Clara twice and BYU). In regular-season play, the team is 54-5 against Big Sky competition at home since joining the conference in 1996. Sacramento State has now won 31-consecutive regular-season matches against conference competition inside the Hornets Nest and hasn''t lost since Oct. 14, 1999 (3-2 loss to Montana).

November Heat

If the last eight years are any indication for things to come, Sacramento State should enjoy a successful month of November. Over the last eight years, the Hornets have combined for a 53-14 record in the month of November. In fact, during that eight-year span, the team has lost more than two matches just one time (5-4 in 1996). Last season, Sacramento State posted a 7-2 November record, including three sweeps. The Hornets opened the month with an easy victory at Montana last week.

Hornets Weigh In On POW Honors

With Lisa Beauchene earning player of the week honors for a fourth time, a Sacramento State player has now received Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors a school-record six times this season, surpassing the previous mark of four, set in 1999 and 2001. Besides Beauchene (Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Oct. 20 and Nov. 3), junior Emily Wilson (Sept. 22) and senior Kazmiera Imrie (Oct. 6) also received the award this season. By comparison, no other Big Sky team has received more than two player of the week awards this season.

Brief Notables

Freshman outside hitter Sandra Bandimere has led the Hornets in kills in four-straight matches and is averaging 3.94 kills per game over that span. She has led the Hornets in that category a team-best 17 times this year...sophomore Shannon Arts tallied a career-high 10 blocks at Montana despite the match lasting just three games. Her previous high had been eight, set twice last year...Sacramento State is currently first in the Big Sky in digs (17.91 per game), second in both kills (15.38) and assists (13.98), and tied for second in blocks (2.57)...Eastern Washington (.333) is the only team to record a hitting percentage of at least .300 against the Hornets this season...freshman Kristin Lutes averaged 4.67 digs per game last week and continues to lead the Big Sky in that category (3.89)...senior Kazmiera Imrie has tallied double figures in kills in just four of her last nine matches after accomplishing the feat 15 times in the first 18 matches of the season...junior Stephanie Gamst has at least one ace in five-straight matches...after recording less than 10 digs in five-straight matches, sophomore Mallory Hook tallied a season-high 17 at Montana State.