Ohio, which defeated Saint Mary’s on Friday night, 3-1, to advance today’s championship match, increased its winning streak to 23-straight matches and improved to 31-2. Sacramento State (26-8), which advanced to the championship match by defeating Pacific last night, had its 16-match winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since Sept. 30. Of the Hornets’ eight losses this season, five have come against teams currently ranked in the top 25 (San Diego, Long Beach State, Santa Clara, Louisville and Ohio).

The winning streak was the longest in the Hornets’ Div. I era (1991-pres.), matching the 1995 squad’s run of 16 in a row. Sacramento State closes the regular season with 26 victories, matching the team’s most wins in a season since the 1998 squad posted a 26-9 record.

Sacramento State will find out when, where and who it plays tomorrow (Sunday, Nov. 27) when the NCAA selection show is aired live on ESPNEWS at 11:30 a.m. PST. The Hornets have not left the Bay Area for the first round of the NCAA Tournament since 1999 when it travelled to USC for the first round. Sacramento State was sent to San Jose in 2000, Stanford in 2002 and 2003, and Berkeley in 2004.

Ohio hit .278 in the match (68-24-158), snapping a run of 21-consecutive opponents that had failed to hit .200 against the Hornets. The Bobcats had more kills (68-50), assists (67-48) and digs (69-45) than the Hornets, and hit 23 points higher (.278-.255).

Junior Atlee Hubbard, and sophomores Lindsay Haupt and Michelle Franz each had 10 kills for Sacramento State. Franz hit a match-high .500, with just one error in 18 attacks. The sophomore from Carmichael also had four blocks and concludes the regular season with a team-best .345 hitting percentage. Hubbard also had an ace, six digs and four blocks to go along with her 10 kills.

With 10 kills, Haupt, who also had four blocks, concluded the regular season with double-figure kills in 13 of her last 15 matches. Junior libero Kristin Lutes tallied a team-best 16 digs and sophomore Jennifer Ferguson added nine kills, a season-high tying .375 hitting percentage (9-0-24), five digs and two blocks.

Hubbard and Haupt both represented Sacramento State on the all-tournament team.

The Hornets had a pair of game points at 29-28, and 31-30 in the second game, but kills from Julia Winkfield and Amanda Anderson, respectively, squashed the Hornets’ bid. After Anderson’s kills tied the game at 31-31, kill from Griffin and Anderson gave the Bobcats a 33-31 victory.

The Hornets battled from behind the majority of the third game before a Bobcat attack error drew the Hornets to within 29-27. A Sacramento State service error then ended the game and match. Joining Griffin with double-figure kills for Ohio were Anderson (14), Holly Schetzsle (12), Stephanie Blackburn (11) and Winkfield (11).