The Sacramento State volleyball squad will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the last eight years when it takes on Saint Mary''s in the first round on Thursday, Dec. 2. The Hornets received an automatic berth into the tournament after winning the Big Sky Tournament (Nov. 18-20) with victories over Montana State and host Eastern Washington in Cheney, Wash. The Hornets became the first team in Big Sky history (any sport) to win three-straight conference championships away from their home floor.

Sacramento State enters the 64-team tournament with a 25-7 overall record and has won each of its last five matches and 10 of the last 11. The Hornets have won the Big Sky regular season (1997-01) and/or tournament championship (1997-98, 2000, 2002-04) each of the last eight years.

On Thursday, Sacramento State will face 14th-ranked Saint Mary''s (who is the No. 10 seed in the tournament) at 5 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on www.hornetsports.com by clicking on the "Live Audio" link and scrolling down to the volleyball schedule. Pacific and host Cal will square off in the other match on Thursday at 7 p.m., with the winner taking on the Sacramento State/Saint Mary''s winner on Friday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. All matches will take place at Haas Pavilion on the UC Berkeley campus.

For the first time in its last three appearances at the NCAA Tournament, Sacramento State will not have to face the host (Cal) in the first round. The Hornets, who are the lone representatives from the Big Sky Conference at the tournament, took on host Santa Clara in 2000, and Stanford in both 2002 and 2003. Saint Mary''s narrowly edged Sacramento State, 3-2 (30-28, 29-31, 30-21, 24-30, 15-13), earlier this season in a marathon match that lasted two hours, 20 minutes. The loss for the Hornets was their only defeat at home this season, as the team went 13-1 on its home floor.

Saint Mary''s (23-3), which moved up to 14th in the USA Today/CSTV top 25 poll this week, has won eight of its last nine matches heading into the tournament. The Gaels have defeated Stanford twice this season and are 4-0 in neutral-site competitions. Only four of the Gaels'' 23 victories this season have gone five games, including the victory over the Hornets on Sept. 21. Sacramento State has dominated the all-time series with Saint Mary''s, 26-5. The Hornets have defeated the Gaels in 19 of the last 21 meetings between the two teams.

Cal (16-11), which is currently ranked 17th in the nation, posted an 11-7 record in the powerful Pac-10 Conference. The Bears have won just four of their last eight matches, but those losses were against Washington (ranked No. 5), USC (No. 8), UCLA (No. 15) and Arizona (No. 21). Cal is 7-5 on its home floor this season, and owns an 8-3 all-time advantage over the Hornets. Sacramento State won the last meeting, 3-0, in Berkeley in 1998.

Pacific enters the tournament with a 19-9 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the Big West Conference. The Tigers will be making their 24th-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, making them one of only four teams to accomplish the feat. Pacific has reached the second round in all 23 of its appearances, and has advanced to regional play 19 times. Sacramento State swept Pacific earlier this season at the Hornets Nest (30-17, 30-20, 30-27), snapping an 11-match losing streak against the Tigers. Pacific leads the all-time series, 25-3.

Hornet Tournament History

This season marks Sacramento State''s seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight years. The Hornets have gone as far as the second round of the tournament once (1998), but have been defeated in the first round in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Sacramento State made its first appearance in the NCAA Div. I Tournament in 1997 when it lost to Pacific, 3-1, in the first round at the University of Washington. In 1998, the Hornets defeated Houston, 3-0, in the first round before dropping their second-round match to host Pacific, 3-0. In 1999, the Hornets lost their first-round match to Minnesota, 3-0, in Los Angeles. The 2000 team lost in the first round to host Santa Clara, 3-0, in San Jose, Calif.

In 2002, Stanford, which was the No. 2 seed in the tournament, swept Sacramento State, 3-0, at Maples Pavilion. Last season, the Hornets again traveled to Maples Pavilion and played Stanford tough, but lost, 39-37, 30-28, 30-23.

Head Coach Debby Colberg

For the 29th-straight season, Debby Colberg controls the Hornet sidelines. During her tenure, Colberg has posted a 743-268 record (.735 winning percentage) and has led the team to 16 league titles and 24 postseason berths. Her 743 wins are tied for fifth on the all-time NCAA list (with UC Santa Barbara''s Kathy Gregory) among active coaches with at least five years of Div. I experience.

Colberg was just named the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year for the fifth-consecutive season and a conference-record seven times in the last eight seasons (1997-98, 2000-04). During her tenure with the Hornets, she has been honored as coach of the year 14 times, including Region Coach of the Year on four occasions. She has led the Hornets to 10-consecutive 20-win seasons, and her teams have posted winning records in 27 of her 29 years at the helm. She is first all-time among Big Sky volleyball coaches with an .816 winning percentage (111-25) in conference matches. The 1989 AVCA National Div. II Coach of the Year is one of six active Div. I coaches to reach the 700-win plateau.

Big Sky Tournament Recap

Sacramento State was crowned Big Sky Tournament champions for the fifth time in seven years with a 3-1 (30-21, 22-30, 30-18, 30-21) victory over host Eastern Washington on Nov. 20. The Hornets, who received a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, defeated Montana State, 30-16, 33-31, 30-26, in the semifinals.

The win marked the third-consecutive season the Hornets had defeated Eastern Washington on its home floor (Cheney, Wash.) in the Big Sky Tournament championship match. Senior outside hitter Sandra Bandimere, who was a unanimous first team all-Big Sky selection, was named the tournament MVP after combining for 32 kills over the two matches, including 18 against Eastern Washington. Senior middle hitter Emily Wilson (averaged 3.14 kills and 1.57 blocks per game to go along with a .375 hitting percentage) and sophomore outside hitter Atlee Hubbard (4.57 kills per game over the two matches) joined Bandimere on the all-tournament team.

Four Hornets Receive Conference Honors

A total of four Sacramento State players received Big Sky Conference honors this season, comprised of seniors Sandra Bandimere (unanimous first team), Emily Wilson (first team) and Stephanie Gamst (second team), and freshman Lindsay Haupt (Big Sky Outstanding Freshman). Below are the some brief recaps of each of the four players, including the remainder of the team''s probable starters:

Shannon Arts: Has played in all 32 matches, including 29 starts...averaging 1.86 kills and 0.78 blocks per game to go along with a .220 hitting percentage...her total of 82 blocks is the second-best mark on the team...played primarily at middle hitter, but has also spent time at right-side hitter...has five matches with at least 10 kills, including a season-high 12 at Cal Poly on Sept. 10.

Sandra Bandimere: Has appeared in all 32 matches, including 31 starts...a unanimous first team all-Big Sky selection, Big Sky Tournament MVP, Sacramento State Invitational MVP, Nanook Volleyball Classic MVP, and all-tournament at the Cal Poly Invitational...team leader in both kills (492) and digs (452)...averaging 4.39 kills, 4.04 digs and 0.48 blocks per game...among Big Sky leaders, she is tied for first in double-doubles (21), second in kills and 20-plus kill matches (eight), tied for second in 20-plus dig matches (seven) and sixth in digs...currently ranks fifth all-time in Sacramento State program history with 1,448 kills.

Stephanie Gamst: One of three Hornets to start all 32 matches and one of two Hornets to appear in all 112 games...a second team all-Big Sky selection who is currently averaging 1.10 kills, 12.12 assists, 2.72 digs and 0.50 blocks per game to go along with a .284 hitting percentage...among Big Sky leaders, Gamst ranks second in assists and fourth in double-doubles (15)...named all-tournament at the Sacramento State Invitational and the Nanook Volleyball Classic.

Lindsay Haupt: Named the Big Sky Conference’s Outstanding Freshman, becoming the first Hornet to achieve the award since the 1996 season (Maureen Rafferty)...second on the Hornets with a .293 hitting percentage while also averaging 1.84 kills and 0.85 blocks per game...tallied double figures in kills on four occasions, including a career-high 14 against Montana...in Sacramento State’s three-game sweep of Pacific, she tallied 12 kills, four blocks and a .579 hitting percentage (12-1-19).

Atlee Hubbard: Has started all 32 matches this season...averaging 2.69 kills, 2.98 digs and 0.45 blocks per game...has 10 double-doubles, tied for ninth in the Big Sky...has 15 matches with double figures in kills and 16 matches with double figures in digs.

Kristin Lutes: Has appeared in 22 matches as the Hornets’ libero...missed 10 matches (Oct. 16-Nov. 13) with a broken knuckle in her hand...returned to action at the Big Sky Tournament and averaged 5.29 digs per game over two matches...averaged a team-best 4.71 digs per game during the season, including a career-high 33 digs vs. Saint Mary’s, the most by a Hornet since the 1999 season.

Natalie Melcher: Has appeared in 30 matches, including 16 starts...averaging 1.41 kills, 0.81 assists and 0.84 blocks per game as the team’s right-side hitter...hitting .238 during the season, but over her last six matches, she is hitting .341.

Emily Wilson: Named first team all-Big Sky Conference while also being named to the all-tournament teams at the Big Sky Tournament, the Nanook Volleyball Classic and the Sacramento State Invitational...team leader in both hitting percentage (.318) and blocks per game (1.42 per game)...also averaging 2.65 kills and 0.25 aces per game...among Big Sky leaders, she ranks second in blocks and third in hitting percentage.

Hornet Notables

Since Sacramento State joined the Big Sky in 1996, the Hornets have posted a league-best 111-25 record (.816) against conference competition...the Hornets have not lost more than one match in succession this year and haven''t suffered anything longer than a three-match losing streak since the 1992 season...Sacramento State is currently 16th in the nation with 19.02 digs per game...the Hornets allowed just six opponents to hit above .200 this season...Sacramento State is 25-0 when winning the first game of a match this year.