VOLLEYBALL WINS AGAIN, IMPROVES TO 3-0 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1995
8/25/2007
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Seniors Jennifer Ferguson (17), Missie Stidham (11) and Lindsay Haupt (11) each had double figures in kills to lead Sacramento State to a three-game sweep (30-14, 31-29, 30-21) of UMKC in the third round of the Mary Jo Wynn Volleyball Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Hammons Center.
Coupled with yesterday’s victories over Delaware State (3-0) and Tulsa (3-2), the Hornets are now 3-0 at the two-day, five-team tournament. Sacramento State and host Missouri State will play for the tournament championship tonight at 5:30 p.m. PDT. The Hornets will attempts to end Missouri State’s run of eight consecutive Wynn Invitational championships. Both teams will enter tonight’s championship match with a 3-0 record at the tournament.
A slow starting team in years past, Sacramento State has won its first three matches of the season for the first time since the 1995 squad ran off seven straight wins to begin the year. In fact, this year and 1995 are the only seasons in which the Hornets began 3-0 since the program joined the Div. I ranks in 1991.
Sacramento State hit a season-high .315 in today’s match while accumulating 19 more kills (58-39) than UMKC (Missouri-Kansas City). Haupt’s 11 kills accompanied a .417 hitting percentage (11-1-24) and three blocks. The senior middle hitter has now hit at least .300 in all three matches this year and leads the team with a .423 hitting percentage (36-6-71) heading into tonight’s match.
After entering the year with a career single-match high of 16 kills, Ferguson has tallied 13, 21 and now 17 kills, respectively, over her first three matches. In today’s match, no other player from either team came within six kills of Ferguson’s tally of 17. She hit .278 (17-7-36) and added eight digs. Stidham had the lone double-double in the match with 11 kills, a .304 hitting percentage (11-4-23) and 10 digs.
Sophomore Desiree Hoyum, who has started all three matches at rightside hitter, finished with a career-high eight kills to go along with a .389 hitting percentage (8-1-18). Freshman Maddison Thivierge started at middle hitter in place of senior Michelle Franz, who the Hornets decided to rest in today’s match because of lingering shin splints. Thivierge finished with five kills and three blocks.
Freshman libero Chelsea Goodsell had a team-best 13 digs and junior setter Rose Burke finished with 37 assists, two aces, nine digs and three blocks.
Sacramento State jumped out to a 12-1 lead in the first game and never looked back to easily take the first frame. The Hornets overcame a 29-28 deficit in the second game by reeling off the game’s final three points on a Hoyum kill, an ace from Melissa Melcher, and a kill from Haupt, respectively. In the third game, Sacramento State broke open an 18-17 lead by closing the frame on a 12-4 run as Burke finished the match with two consecutive aces.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Seniors 
