With the victory, Sacramento State won for the 13th time in its last 14 matches while improving to 25-5 overall and 12-1 in the Big Sky. More importantly, the Hornets remain in first place in the league standings, one game ahead of Portland State (11-2) which defeated Northern Arizona tonight in five games. Sacramento State needs to win just two of its remaining three regular-season matches to clinch the Big Sky’s regular-season crown and host the conference tournament on Nov. 16-18. Sacramento State has won either the Big Sky’s regular season and/or tournament championship each of the last nine years.

With the loss, Montana, which sits in third place in the Big Sky standings, dropped to 12-12 overall and 9-5 in the conference.

All but two of the Hornets’ conference victories this season have now come in three-game sweeps. In addition, Sacramento State now has 54-straight victories in regular-season home matches against Big Sky competition, a streak which dates back to 1999. The Hornets, who are 136-27 against Big Sky opposition since joining the league in 1996, are now two victories shy of their most wins (27) since the 1995 season.

Sacramento State limited Montana to a .099 hitting percentage as the Hornets tallied 11.0 team blocks, including a match-high seven from junior middle hitter Michelle Franz. The Grizzlies had 33 kills and 22 errors compared to Sacramento State’s 52 kills and 18 errors.

Montana held an 18-16 lead in the first game before the Hornets went on a 10-0 run, which included sophomore setter Rose Burke serving nine of those points. It was much of the same in the second game when the Hornets used a 5-0 run to take a 25-20 lead. Burke again had the magic with her serve, accounting for four of those points during the run. Sacramento State never trailed during the entire third frame as the 13-point margin of victory (30-17) was also the team’s largest lead of the night.

Haupt hit a career-high .647, tallying 12 kills with just one error in 17 attacks. She also had three blocks, as the junior is now hitting .387 over her last 13 matches. Ferguson struck for her third-consecutive double-double, finishing with 12 kills, 12 digs and a .276 hitting percentage. Hubbard’s 11 kills accompanied seven digs and three blocks.

Of Franz’s seven blocks, three were solos, as the Carmichael, Calif., native is now ranked second in the nation with an average of 1.86 blocks per game. Franz also had nine kills and a .261 hitting percentage. Freshman rightside hitter Anna Schoener finished with six kills, a .400 hitting percentage (6-2-10) and one block. Senior Kristin Lutes finished with 12 digs, and the fourth-year libero now has at least 12 digs in every match this season.

Claudia Houle and Jade Roskam each led Montana with eight kills while Jackie White led all players with 14 digs.

Sacramento State concludes its final homestand of the season on Saturday, Nov. 4, against Idaho State at 7 p.m. Hornet seniors Hubbard, Lutes, Leah Klemenhagen and Shannon Roland will be honored prior to the match for their contributions to the program.