WEBER STATE RALLIES FOR FIVE-GAME VICTORY OVER VOLLEYBALL, ENDS HOMECOURT STREAK

11/2/2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Brittney Bisaillon had 16 kills and a career-high 17 blocks to help lead Weber State to a 3-2 (30-26, 27-30, 16-30, 30-27, 23-21) victory over Sacramento State in a Big Sky Conference volleyball match Friday night at the Hornets Nest.

The loss dropped the Hornets to 22-6 overall and 9-2 in the Big Sky. The Wildcats (12-11, 8-4) earned their first win ever against Sacramento State at the Hornets Nest in 12 tries. Weber State also snapped the Hornets’ 59-match Big Sky regular-season home winning streak which dated back to Oct. 28, 1999. Sacramento State now drops to second place in the league standings, one game behind first-place Portland State (11-2). In addition, the team has lost three of its last four after reeling off a 15-match winning streak. All six of the Hornets’ losses this season have come in five games.

In the fifth game, Sacramento State broke a 5-5 tie with five unanswered points and eventually led, 12-6. The Wildcats, however, scored five in a row to pull within one (12-11) and later took a 14-13 advantage. Weber State’s first attempt to end the match failed with a service error and the Hornets rallied to establish three match points of their own. Two kills by Micah Lines and one by Kolbie Murphy kept WSU alive, but three more service errors on match point kept the team from putting the game away. The match finally ended when Bisaillon and Leah Burmeister recorded back-to-back kills to break a 21-21 tie.

The match started well for Weber State as the Wildcats took a game from Sacramento State for the first time in the teams’ last five meetings. Weber State outhit the Hornets .312-.121 en route to a 30-26 victory. The turning point of the game came when WSU scored six of seven points to turn a 19-18 deficit into a 24-20 lead.

Sacramento State controlled the early portion of the second game before allowing Weber State to rally back. Missie Stidham, who was held without a kill in the first game, guided the Hornets in game two with nine kills, including the final four for the team in the game.

The match appeared to swing in Sacramento State’s favor with a convincing 30-16 win in the third game. The Hornets fired out of the gates early to claim a 5-1 lead and were never challenged. As a team, Sacramento State hit .320 with 19 kills and only three errors. Defensively, the Hornets were able to limit WSU to only nine kills in the game with six errors.

The Wildcats were able to overcome the poor showing in the third frame with a 30-27 win to force game five. Neither team was able to lead by more than three points in the game until a kill by Bisaillon gave Weber State a 22-18 lead. Two more kills from Chelsea Bair and Bisaillon put the game out of reach.

Four Weber State players tallied at least 13 kills, comprised of Bissaillon (16), Bair (15), Lines (14) and Murphy (13). Lines also led all players with 32 digs. Weber State hit .198 as a team and recorded a ridiculous 25.5 team blocks, including 7.0 in the fifth and final game.

Sacramento State, which hit just .167 during the match, was led by senior Michelle Franz, who posted 18 kills, eight blocks and a team-best .378 hitting percentage. Freshman Maddison Thivierge finished with a season-high eight kills, five blocks and a .318 hitting percentage.

Joining Franz with double figures in kills for Sacramento State were seniors Stidham (20 kills, 19 digs), Lindsay Haupt (17 kills, nine digs and six blocks) and Jennifer Ferguson (15 kills, career-high 26 digs). Junior setter Rose Burke had a career-high 22 digs, and freshman Chelsea Goodsell added 21 digs.

The Hornets tallied a season-best 119 digs, but struggled all night with their serve receive.

Sacramento State tries to right the ship tomorrow night (Saturday, Nov. 3) when its hosts Idaho State at 7 p.m. The Hornets are currently in the midst of a season-long five match homestand.