With the victory, Sacramento State has now won nine matches in a row, 13 of 14, and 18 of the last 20. The Hornets’ current winning streak matches the team’s longest since the 1999 squad also won nine in a row. What makes the winning streak even more impressive is the team has swept seven-straight opponents and eight of nine during the run.

The Hornets improved to 19-7 overall and 9-1 in the Big Sky, and remain in first place in the Big Sky standings, one game ahead of Portland State (who defeated Northern Arizona tonight) and three games ahead of third-place Eastern Washington (16-8, 6-4).

Sacramento State, which is currently ranked 27th by RichKern.com, has just four Big Sky matches remaining on the schedule, including Saturday’s showdown with second-place Portland State at 1 p.m. The Hornets have now won 10-straight matches at home this year, and 45-consecutive regular season home matches against Big Sky competition dating back to 1999.

The Hornets, who have defeated Eastern Washington each of the last three years in the Big Sky Tournament championship match, swept the Eagles at home and on the road during the regular season for the first time since 2001. Earlier this year, the Hornets defeated EWU, 3-0, in Cheney, Wash.

The Hornets used a balanced offensive attack that included seven players with at least four kills while limiting Eastern Washington to just a .157 hitting percentage. Hubbard led the attack with 15 kills, 13 digs and two blocks. Haupt, who continued to terrorize Big Sky opposition, had just two errors in 20 attacks and has now hit better than .310 in nine-consecutive matches. Against conference opposition this season, the Etna, Calif., native is now hitting a team-high .379.

Senior setter Natalie Melcher finished with four kills, a .500 hitting percentage, 40 assists, one ace, 11 digs and a team-high tying four blocks (Haupt also had four). Sacramento State, which saved two game points in the first frame and overcame a 28-25 deficit in the third, held every Eastern Washington starter to hitting percentages of .250 or below.

After suffering an ankle injury that kept her out of the final two games of the Montana State victory last Saturday, sophomore Jennifer Ferguson bounced back with 11 digs. Junior Shannon Roland, who just came back from a broken clavicle, had six kills, three digs and a solo block. Shannon Arts (six kills), Michelle Franz (four kills, two assists, three digs and two blocks) and Leah Klemenhagen (four kills) rounded out the list of Hornets with at least four kills.

Eastern Washington received 13 kills and 15 digs from Lizzy Mellor, 12 kills and five blocks from Chrystal Johnson, a match-high six blocks from Kerri Beck and a match-high 24 digs from libero Andrea Verdoljak.

Saturday’s match against Portland State will have a huge impact on determining this year’s Big Sky regular-season championship. The winner of the regular season will host the Big Sky Tournament on Nov. 17-19. Sacramento State hosted the tournament every year from 1997-01, and Eastern Washington has hosted the last three years.