With the victory, the Hornets improved their season-best winning streak to seven matches in a row with each of the last five and six of the seven coming via a three-game sweep. In addition, Sacramento State has now won 11 of its last 12, and 16 of its last 18 matches overall. Sacramento State improved to 17-7 and 7-1 in the Big Sky. The Hornets remain in first place in the Big Sky standings with a one-game lead over Portland State (6-2), who swept Weber State last night.

With just six conference matches remaining on the schedule (including tomorrow night’s matchup at Montana State), Sacramento State could strengthen its first-place lead next Saturday as the team hosts Portland State.

Sacramento State hit .304 during the match, the fourth time this season the team has hit better than .300. Three Hornets (with at least four kills) hit better than .430 comprised of Haupt, senior setter Natalie Melcher (four kills, .571 hitting percentage, 40 assists, six digs and three blocks) and senior rightside hitter Shannon Arts (nine kills, .438 hitting percentage).

Haupt, who also posted a match-high tying four blocks, continued a streak which has seen the Etna, Calif., native hit better than .310 in seven-consecutive matches, and at least .500 in four of those contests. Sophomore middle hitter Michelle Franz, who also had four blocks, had six kills and a .308 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Ferguson (nine kills, 17 digs) narrowly missed her seventh double-double of the season.

Sacramento State, which finished with 53 digs and 8.0 team blocks, limited Montana to a .177 hitting percentage, marking the 12th-consecuitve opponent the Hornets have held to hitting percentages below .200. Ferguson’s 17 digs led all Hornets, and junior libero Kristin Lutes finished with 14. Lutes needs just 15 more digs to crack into Sacramento State’s career top 10 list for most digs.

Less than six weeks after breaking her left clavicle, junior outside hitter Shannon Roland made her first appearance in a match since the Hornets beat Loyola Marymount on Sept. 10. Roland played in games two and three, and finished with a perfect two kills in two attacks.

Montana (11-11, 1-7), which committed 11 service errors and finished with just 4.0 team blocks, was led by Claudia Houle’s 10 kills and 15 digs while Jackie White posted a match-high tying 17 digs.

Sacramento State will travel from Missoula to Bozeman, Mont., to take on Montana State tomorrow evening (6 p.m. PST). The Hornets are 23-5 all-time against Montana State (including a 3-1 victory earlier this year in Sacramento), but have struggled in Bozeman, losing three of the last four years on Montana State’s home floor.