With the victory, Sacramento State clinched its ninth-consecutive Big Sky championship as the team will now host the Big Sky Tournament on Nov. 17-19. The Hornets (21-7, 11-1) have now won 11 matches in a row (the team’s longest winning streak since the 1998 season), 15 of the last 16, and 20 of the last 22. Sacramento State has swept nine of its 11 opponents during the winning streak and has not lost a match since the month of September.

Sacramento State, which has won the last three Big Sky Tournament championships (each played in Cheney, Wash.), captured its first regular-season championship since the 2001 season. The Hornets have won either the Big Sky’s regular season and/or tournament championship nine-straight years, including six regular season titles (1997-01, 2005) and six tournament titles (1997-98, 2000, 2002-04).

The Hornets, who have already won the regular season championship despite two more Big Sky matches remaining on the schedule, will assume the No. 1 seed for the tournament. By virtue of that No. 1 seed, Sacramento State will receive a first-round bye and play in the semifinals on Nov. 18. The championship match will be played Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. The winner of the Big Sky Tournament receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, a place the Hornets have been seven times in the last eight years. Sacramento State is 14-3 all-time in Big Sky Tournament play since joining the league in 1996.

Sacramento State hit .326 in the match, the team’s second-highest hitting percentage of the season. In fact, five Hornets hit better than .340 comprised of Ferguson (.345), sophomore Lindsay Haupt (nine kills, two blocks, match-high .471 hitting percentage), senior setter Natalie Melcher (five kills, .455, 39 assists and 10 digs), sophomore Michelle Franz (eight kills, .438, match-high five blocks) and junior Shannon Roland (two kills, .400).

The Hornets dominated the match in every statistical category as Idaho State’s largest lead of the night was one point. Sacramento State posted 61 digs and 7.0 team blocks as junior Kristin Lutes tallied a match-high tying 17 digs to go along with a career-high four aces. Junior Mallory Hook added 15 digs for a Sacramento State defense which ranks fourth in the nation in digs per game.

The Hornets had 16 more kills than Idaho State (54-38) and limited the Bengals to just a .141 hitting percentage. Idaho State was led by Felice Yocopis’ 13 kills and 17 digs, while Zoe Beltz (six kills, .312) was the only Bengal to hit better than .230.

Sacramento State returns to action tomorrow night (Saturday, Nov. 5) for a road match at Weber State at 7:30 p.m. PST. The Hornets conclude their Big Sky portion of the regular season schedule at home on Saturday, Nov. 12, against Northern Arizona. Sacramento State seniors Shannon Arts, Mallory Hook and Natalie Melcher will be honored prior to the match for their contributions to the program.