WEEKLY NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Sacramento State (19-7, 10-0): The Hornets punched their ticket to the Big Sky Championships last week, defeating both Idaho and Eastern Washington on the road. Sacramento State remains the only unbeaten team in conference matches and has won 18-straight regular season conference matches dating back to last season. The Hornets have three players that have recorded at least 13 double doubles this year, including outside hitter Shannon Boyle (19), outside hitter Mikaela Nocetti (16) and setter Kennedy Kurtz (13). Kurtz is also just the fifth player in Big Sky history to reach the 5,000-assist mark as she currently has 5,034 in her career. Sacramento State looks to continue its scorching pace with matches versus Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.
North Dakota (23-4, 8-2): North Dakota enjoyed some home cooking last week as they swept both Idaho State and Weber State to extend its home winning streak to 19-straight matches. UND has also won an incredible 38 straight sets at home. Senior middle blocker Faith Dooley inches closer to the career Big Sky total block record as she needs just 34 blocks to jump from third to first on that list. The Fighting Hawks continue to stifle opposing offenses, allowing conference foes to hit just .145. North Dakota continues its homestand this week against Montana and Montana State.
Portland State (17-5, 8-2): Portland State rolled to a pair of sweeps against Eastern Washington and Idaho last week. In all matches, the Vikings lead the Big Sky in assists per set, racking up an average of 13.55. The Viks setter, Erin Clark, also leads the conference individually, averaging 11.26 assists per set. Portland State will face off against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona this week.
Idaho (12-9, 7-3): In two home matches last week, the Vandals could not prevail as they lost to Sacramento State and Portland State. However, Idaho remains a top the league in hitting percentage, drilling a clip of .262 over all matches this season. Middle Blocker DeVonne Ryter has come alive in conference matches as she leads the league in individual hitting percentage (.492) since the beginning of Big Sky play. Idaho looks to get back on track as they take on Idaho State and Eastern Washington in a pair of road matches this weekend.
Idaho State (9-14, 6-4): The Bengals fell victim to North Dakota on Thursday, but rebounded well in their sweep of Northern Colorado on Saturday. Libero Haylie Keck anchors Idaho State’s defense with her 4.59 digs per set average, which ranks third-best in the Big Sky. Idaho State is back at with contests versus Idaho and Weber State this week.
Northern Arizona (9-12, 5-5): Northern Arizona evened up its conference record last week, seizing victories over Montana State and Montana. Junior outside hitter Kaylie Jorgenson battered opposing defenses with 35 total kills. The Lumberjacks will host both Sacramento State and Portland State this week.
Northern Colorado (11-12, 4-6): The Bears took a pair of losses last week to Weber State and Idaho State. Outside hitter Alex Kloehn led Northern Colorado’s offense with 27 kills last week. Northern Colorado will host Montana State and Montana this week.
Eastern Washington (6-13, 3-7): Eastern Washington lost to both Portland State and Sacramento State last week. Outside hitter Ashley Seiler is currently tied for first in the Big Sky with 4.03 kills per set. The Eagles look to rebound against Weber State and Idaho this week.
Montana State (7-12, 3-7): Montana State lost to Northern Arizona, but won against Southern Utah last week. Middle blocker Kelsie White continues to have an impressive freshman campaign as her 1.15 blocks per set average ranks sixth-best in the Big Sky over all matches. The Bobcats return to the net against Northern Colorado and North Dakota this week.
Weber State (5-17, 3-7): The Wildcats snagged a victory over Northern Colorado on Thursday, but fell to North Dakota on Saturday. Weber State’s freshman setter, Ashlyn Power, ranks fifth in the league in assist average (9.65 assists/s) so far this season. Weber State will face Eastern Washington and Idaho State at home this week.
Montana (7-16, 2-8): Montana gutted out a 3-2 win over Southern Utah and dropped a match to Northern Arizona last week. Sophomore outside hitter Missy Huddleston had 22 kills on .255 hitting in the five-set win over SUU. The Griz will play against North Dakota and Northern Colorado on the road this week.
Southern Utah (6-16, 1-9): Southern Utah lost both of its matches to Montana and Montana State last week. Senior MaCail Evans is currently tied for second in the conference in block average with 1.32 blocks per set. The T-Birds will take the court against Portland State and Sacramento State this week.