With the victory, Sacramento State improved to 17-6 overall this season and 6-2 in the conference. The Hornets, who are also 9-1 at home this year, currently sit in third place in the conference standings, a half game behind Montana State (7-2). Eastern Washington (7-1) remains in first place while Idaho State is fourth with a 5-4 record.

The Hornets have now won 36-consecutive regular-season matches against conference competition inside the Hornets Nest, a streak dating back to 1999. The team has also won all nine of its home contests this season in three-game sweeps.

Hubbard’s 11 kills came with just two errors in 29 total attacks as the outside hitter also added four blocks. Senior Sandra Bandimere (eight kills, .333 hitting percentage and 13 digs), freshman Lindsay Haupt (eight kills, match-high .533 hitting percentage, and three blocks) and senior Emily Wilson (seven kills and a match-high five blocks) all had at least seven kills for the Hornets. Haupt had zero errors in 15 attacks as the freshman is now hitting .379 over her last six matches.

Junior Mallory Hook (match-high 14 digs) and senior Stephanie Gamst (32 assists, 12 digs) rounded out the four Hornets with double figures in digs. Junior Shannon Arts added six kills and a .400 hitting percentage as five Hornets hit at least .310 in the match.

Sacramento State finished the match with a .343 hitting percentage, the team’s third-best mark of the season. In 105 attacks, the Hornets committed just eight errors, the team’s lowest output of the season. Sacramento State limited Northern Arizona to a .085 hitting percentage and took advantage of 14 Lumberjack service errors. The Hornets also bettered NAU in digs (61-47) and team blocks (8-4).

Katy Knowlton (10 kills), Kailee Savage (nine kills) and Marie Pastores (13 digs) led Northern Arizona, which dropped to 5-14 overall and 2-6 in the Big Sky.

Sacramento State led from start to finish in game one while hitting .500 (15-1-28) as a team. Bandimere led the Hornets with four kills as NAU hit just .082 while committing nine errors with just 13 kills.

In game two, Northern Arizona led briefly, 6-5, before Sacramento State went on a 19-5 run to take a commanding 24-11 lead. The Hornets cruised the rest of the way while hitting .368 in the frame.

NAU took its largest lead of the match (17-11) in game three before the Hornets cracked off a 13-6 run to take a 24-23 lead. Sacramento State never trailed the rest of the way as kills from Bandimere, Haupt and Hubbard, and a combo block from Hubbard and Haupt, respectively, ended things after NAU had drawn even at 26-26.

Sacramento State returns to action next week for three contests, including its last non-conference match of the season (at UC Davis on Tuesday, Oct. 2). The Hornets return to conference play for home matches against Montana (Thursday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.) and Montana State (Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m.). Sacramento State defeated Montana, 3-0, earlier this season while falling to Montana State, 3-0, on Oct. 1.

The Hornets have just seven matches remaining on the regular-season schedule until the Big Sky Tournament begins on Nov. 18. The Big Sky’s regular-season champion will host the tournament with the winner receiving an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament (beginning Dec. 2).