With the win, Sacramento State clinched the Big Sky’s regular season championship and the right to host the league’s postseason tournament on Nov. 16-18. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, a place the Hornets have been eight times in the last nine years. Sacramento State has now won either the Big Sky’s regular season and/or tournament championship each of the last 10 years.

The Hornets (27-5, 14-1 Big Sky) will assume the No. 1 seed for the tournament and receive a first-round bye. Portland State (13-2) will get the No. 2 seed and receive the tournament’s other first-round bye. Should Sacramento State lose its regular season finale at Northern Colorado on Saturday, and Portland State win on Saturday, the Hornets would still host the tournament by virtue of owning the tiebreaker over the Vikings.

Eastern Washington, Montana and Northern Colorado have already clinched spots into the tournament, and two teams (Weber State and Northern Arizona) will face each other on Saturday, with the winner getting the tournament’s sixth and final seed. The tournament schedule and ticket prices are listed below this story.

The victory for Sacramento State marked just the sixth time in the team’s 27 victories this season that the Hornets did not win in a three-game sweep. In addition, the 27 victories are the most for the program since the 1995 squad went 35-4.

Sacramento State, currently ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams in both digs and blocks per game, limited NAU to a .075 hitting percentage and took advantage of 17 Lumberjack service errors. In fact, two NAU players had at least five service errors, including seven from Kim Babcock and five from Kailee Savage. Northern Arizona (8-17, 4-11) had more kills (55-51) and team blocks (11.0-10.0) than the Hornets, but could not overcome its mistakes which also included 42 errors in 174 total attacks.

The Hornets had three players finish with double figures in kills, comprised of Haupt, junior Jennifer Ferguson (13 kills, seven digs) and senior Atlee Hubbard (10 kills, 18 digs). Haupt continued a torrid pace that has seen the reigning Big Sky Conference MVP hit .383 over her last 15 matches. Hubbard’s 10 kills gives her 13 straight matches with double figures in kills. She now has 1,206 career kills, 13 shy of cracking into Sacramento State’s career top 10.

Junior middle hitter Michelle Franz, a leading candidate for the Big Sky MVP award along with Haupt, finished with six kills and a team-high tying five blocks. Senior Leah Klemenhagen also had five blocks, and senior Kristin Lutes led all Hornets with 19 digs.

Babcock paced Northern Arizona with 18 kills and 14 digs while Kailee Savage added 13 kills and 20 digs. NAU has now lost five straight and dropped to 6-7 at home.

Sacramento State finishes the regular season this Saturday, Nov. 11, when the team travels to Northern Colorado for a match which begins at 6 p.m. PST. The Hornets open Big Sky Tournament play against an opponent yet to be determined on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m.

2006 BIG SKY VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

All matches will be played at the Hornets Nest (inside Yosemite Hall) on the Sacramento State campus.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, Nov. 16

Quarterfinal 1 (5 p.m.) - No. 6 seed vs. No. 3 seed

Quarterfinal 2 (7:30 p.m.) - No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed

Friday, Nov. 17

Semifinal 1 (5 p.m.) - Portland State vs. Highest Remaining Seed

Semifinal 2 (7:30 p.m.) - Sacramento State vs. Lowest Remaining Seed

Saturday, Nov. 18

Championship (7 p.m.) - Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2

TICKET PRICES

Tickets will be available on the days of the event at the entrance to the Hornets Nest.

Thursday, Nov. 16 (one ticket gets fans into both matches)

Adults: $8

Youth (ages 3-17)/Students, faculty and staff from Big Sky Conference schools with valid ID: $5

Friday, Nov. 17 (one ticket gets fans into both matches)

Adults: $8

Youth (ages 3-17)/Students, faculty and staff from Big Sky Conference schools with valid ID: $5

Saturday, Nov. 18

Adults: $10

Youth (ages 3-17)/Students, faculty and staff from Big Sky Conference schools with valid ID: $5