Hornets will advance to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in seven years

Sacramento State had been 0-5 in five-game matches this season prior to tonight’s victory. Senior setter Lisa Beauchene, who was named conference MVP last week, also received tournament MVP honors while senior Kazmiera Imrie and junior Sandra Bandimere joined Beauchene on the all-tournament team for the Hornets.

Sacramento State will advance to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven years (1997-00, 2002-03). The Hornets (23-11) will find out the date and opponent for their first-round match on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. PST. The 64-team selection show will be aired live on ESPNEWS.

Not only did the Hornets become the first team in conference history to win the Big Sky Tournament championship away from home in back-to-back seasons, Sacramento State also gave Eastern Washington its first home loss of the season. The Eagles entered the match with a 9-0 record at Reese Court while dropping just four games over that span. The Hornets have now won the Big Sky regular season and/or tournament title each of the last seven years.

Sacramento State advanced to the championship match by virtue of its 3-0 victory over Idaho State Friday night while Eastern Washington defeated Montana State, 3-2. The Hornets and Eagles have matched up in the Big Sky Tournament title match each of the last four years, with the Hornets coming out victorious three times.

Joining Imrie in double-figure kills for the Hornets were Bandimere (19), sophomore Shannon Arts (13) and freshman Jennifer Ferguson (11). Beauchene finished with six kills, a .375 hitting percentage, 61 assists and a match-high 20 digs. Arts’ 13 kills accompanied a match-best .500 hitting percentage (13-1-24) and a team-high four blocks. The Hornets hit .176 while limiting Eastern Washington to a .158 mark.

Eastern Washington was led by Keva Sonderen’s 20 kills while Lindsay Page (14) and Megan Kitterman (12) also had double-figure kills for the Eagles. Sara Reilly paced the Eagles with 15 digs. Eastern Washington had 14 team blocks, but could not overcome its hitting woes during the match.

In the first game, Sacramento State went on an 8-1 run – highlighted by back-to-back aces from Ferguson – to open up a 15-6 lead. Eastern Washington got back within seven points of the Hornets lead (17-10), but could get no closer the rest of the way. The 30-16 loss was the second-worst margin of defeat in any game for the Eagles this season (the team lost the first game of the Kent State match, 30-15). Bandimere led all players with six kills, including kills on four of the Hornets’ final six points of the game.

In the second game, Eastern Washington broke open a 20-20 tie by going on a 7-0 run to take a commanding 27-20 lead. The Eagles’ Lizzy Mellor served out six of those points, including an ace. Eastern Washington scored 10 of the game’s final 12 points, a run which included four Eagle blocks, two Hornet attack errors and a Hornet service error.

Game three remained close throughout, but the Hornets only had one lead (3-2) during the entire frame. Eastern Washington’s five-point margin of victory (30-25) also tied for its largest lead. Sacramento State hit below .100 for the second-consecutive game (.075) as the team committed 14 errors in 53 total attacks. Sonderen led the Eagles with five kills in seven attacks.

The Hornets used a 5-0 run late in the fourth game to overcome a 22-21 deficit and take a 26-22 lead. The Eagles did not challenge the rest of the way as Imrie finished with five kills in the game. Sacramento State, which overcame an early 4-0 deficit, hit .263 with just five errors.

In the fifth and final game, Sacramento State dominated throughout, opening up a 9-2 lead and never looking back. The Hornets hit .450 in the decisive game while Eastern Washington tallied four errors and a .040 hitting percentage.