A Look at This Week

The Sacramento State volleyball team will be looking for its third

Big Sky Tournament title in the last four years this week. The Hornets, who

finished the season with an overall record of 19-11 and a Big Sky record of

12-4, were crowned co-Big Sky regular season champions with Northern

Arizona. Sacramento State owned the tiebreaker and the subsequent right to

host the tournament over NAU because the Hornets won the higher percentage

of total games between the two teams this season.

The Hornets will be hosting the tournament for the

fourth-consecutive season. In the history of the Big Sky Tournament, which

began in 1982, only one team has hosted four years in a row (Portland

State, 1982-85). Sacramento State was defeated in the semifinals of the

tournament last year by Cal State Northridge, 3-2.

In this season's tourney, Sacramento State will have a first-round

bye along with second-ranked Northern Arizona. Also competing in the

single-elimination tournament will be No. 3-seeded Eastern Washington

(11-5), No. 4 Montana State (10-6), No. 5 Cal State Northridge (9-7) and No. 6 Montana (8-8). On Thursday, Nov. 16, Montana and Eastern Washington will square off at 5 p.m. and Cal State Northridge and Montana State will battle at 7:30 p.m. Northern Arizona will play the highest remaining seed

on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m., and Sacramento State will play the lowest

remaining seed at 7:30 p.m. The championship match is scheduled for

Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. The tournament breakdown is listed below:

2000 Big Sky Conference Tournament Schedule

Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at the Sacramento State

Box Office located on the first floor of the Student Union or at Hornet Gym

prior to the match. Ticket prices are as follows:

A Look at The Tournament Field

Sacramento State has won 12 of its last 16 matches and has tied its

season high by moving to eight games over .500. The Hornets went 8-0 at home against Big Sky competition and have now won 12-straight regular season matches at home against Big Sky teams over the last two years. Junior Tasman Dwyer leads the team in both kills (3.69 per game) and blocks

(1.45 per game). Her blocks per game is tied for first in the conference

with Idaho State's Amanda Berg.

Winners of six straight matches and 12 of its last 13, Northern

Arizona will enter the tournament with a 17-5 overall record and a 12-4

mark in the Big Sky. The Lumberjacks went 5-4 on the road and 2-0 at

neutral sites this season. The team's only blemish in its last 13 matches

was a 3-2 loss at home to Cal State Northridge on Oct. 21. In last year's

Big Sky Tournament, NAU became the first conference school to win three

league postseason matches and the lowest seed to ever win the postseason

title (a No. 4 seed).

Eastern Washington (16-9, 11-5) has won two straight and 10 of its

last 11 matches heading into the tournament. The Eagles, who have won

28-straight matches at home dating back to Sept. 24, 1998, have gone just

4-7 on the road this year. EWU, which will be looking for its

third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, was a No. 2 seed in last

year's conference tournament before falling in the semifinals to NAU.

Montana State (20-7, 10-6) began the season with a record of 16-3

but has since dropped four of its last eight matches. This year marks the

team's third-straight 20-win season and fifth-straight Big Sky Tournament

appearance. The best blocking team in the Big Sky (3.13 per game), MSU

broke the school mark for most block assists in a season (541).

Cal State Northridge (16-9, 9-7) had won three straight until

losing in five at home to Sacramento State last Saturday. The Matadors

(20.75 digs per game) lead the conference and have been ranked nationally

throughout the year in digs. Juniors Alexis Cormiér (4.44) and Laura

Szymanski (4.43) sit first and second, respectively, in the Big Sky in

kills per game.

Montana (16-13, 8-8) finished with a 4-7 record in its last 11

matches. Including this season, the Grizzlies have now advanced to the Big

Sky Tournament 11 times in the 13-year history of the tourney. Erin Adams

leads the Grizzlies in both kills (325) and digs (3.99).

A Look at the Coach

For the 25th-straight season, Debby Colberg controls the Hornet

sidelines. During her tenure, Colberg has posted a 648-227 record (.741

winning percentage) and has led the team to 11 league titles and 19

postseason berths. Her 648 wins ranks 10th on the all-time NCAA list among

coaches with at least five years of Div. I experience. She has also

captured league coach of the year honors five times and Region Coach of the

Year honors on four occasions.

Colberg came to Sacramento State in 1976 and finished 9-8 in her

first season. She captured her first league title in 1978 when the team

posted a 12-2 mark in the Golden State Conference. After two third-place

finishes in the Div. II playoffs, Colberg guided the Hornets to the

championships game in 1989. That season she was named AVCA National Div. II

Coach of the Year.

In addition to leading the Hornets to three-consecutive NCAA

Tournament appearances over the last three years, she has also had the

added responsibility of serving as the school's athletic director.

A Look at Last Week

The Hornets went 1-1 last week including a 3-2 (15-13, 9-15, 13-15,

15-8, 15-7) loss at Northern Arizona on Thursday and a dramatic

come-from-behind 3-2 (14-16, 6-15, 16-14, 15-9, 15-13) win over Cal State

Northridge on Saturday.

Thursday, five Lumberjacks recorded double figures in kills led by

Maggie Barrera's match-high 30. NAU led the Hornets in almost every major

statistical category including hitting percentage (.286-.190), kills

(92-74), assists (84-69) and team blocks (15.0-12.0). Sophomore Jayme

Wright led the Hornets with 21 kills including a .356 hitting percentage,

nine digs, seven blocks and eight assists.

Saturday, the Hornets trailed 2-0 in games and 9-0 in game three

before mounting an improbable comeback to defeat Cal State Northridge and

gain the right to host the postseason tournament. Sacramento State also

found itself down, 14-10, in game three before running off six unanswered

points to win the game. In the fifth frame, the Hornets fell behind, 8-4,

before coming back for the 15-13 victory. A season-high five Hornets

finished with double-figure kills led by Wright's 20.

A Look at the Hornets

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE

* Since joining the Big Sky in 1996, Sacramento State has posted the best

conference winning percentage of the league's nine teams. The Hornets are

65-15 (.813) followed by Eastern Washington (58-22). Montana State (49-31),

Northern Arizona (49-31) and Cal State Northridge (47-33) are the other

schools with winning league records. Montana (33-47), Weber State (30-50),

Idaho State (19-61) and Portland State (12-68) round out the field. The

Hornets will be gunning this week for their fourth-straight Big Sky regular

season title.

OTHER NOTES

The Hornets are attempting to make the NCAA Tournament for the

fourth-consecutive season...with one more victory, the Hornets will reach

the 20-win plateau for the sixth-consecutive year...senior Sarah Chlebana

left the Cal State Northridge match at the beginning of the fourth game

with a sprained ankle. Her status is probable for Friday's match...among

conference leaders, freshman Lisa Beauchene is third in hitting percentage

(.311), sixth in assists (11.58 per game) and 10th in digs (3.20 per game).

The .311 hitting percentage is tied for sixth on the all-time Sacramento

State single season records list (min. 100 kills in a season)...Sacramento

State is 15-1 when winning the first game of a match but 4-10 when losing

the first game...junior Tasman Dwyer is tied for the conference lead with

1.45 blocks per game...freshman Olivia Thomas is second in the conference

with 0.33 aces per game...Sacramento State ranks second in the Big Sky in

digs (19.82 per game), blocks (2.71 per game) and service aces (1.43 per game).