CHAMPIONSHIP NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Sacramento State: Sacramento State will serve as the No. 1 seed and host of this year’s Big Sky Volleyball Championships after it recorded the programs first regular-season championship since 2007. The Hornets have won 21 of the last 24 contests and have only lost at home once this season. Senior setter Kennedy Kurtz guides a Hornet offense that ranked first in the Big Sky in total assists (1,673) and second in assist average (12.87 assists/s) in all matches this season. Individually, Kurtz leads the league in total assists this season, piling up 1,453. Kurtz also ranks second in the Big Sky in career assists (5,339), coming in behind another Hornet great, Maureen Rafferty. Outside hitters Shannon Boyle and Mikaela Nocetti both eclipsed 20 Doubles-Doubles during the regular season. The Hornets will get the tournament started against No. 8 Northern Colorado.
North Dakota: The defending Big Sky champions went 12-4 in conference play and snagged a share of the Big Sky’s North division crown and the two seed in this year’s tournament. North Dakota boasts one of the conference’s best defenses, allowing opponents to hit just .155 in all matches this season. The Fighting Hawk defense is anchored by senior middle blocker Faith Dooley, who ranks second in the league in total career blocks (652), career block assists (539) and eleventh in career solo blocks (113). Senior setter Sydney Griffin is also a player to watch as she has accounted for the Big Sky’s only Triple-Double this season. North Dakota will begin its title defense against No. 7 Weber State.
Idaho: The Vandals battled with the best in the Big Sky all season long and were co-champions in the North Division, which earned them a three seed in this year’s tournament. Idaho brings length to the table as it has eight players standing six-feet tall or over. In all matches, Idaho leads the conference in hitting percentage (.269), while middle blockers DeVonne Ryter (.378) and Torrin Crawford (.329) individually rank in the top 10 in the league in that same statistic. The Vandals will face in-state rival and sixth-seeded Idaho State to start the championships.
Portland State: The Viks nabbed the fourth seed in the tournament. Portland State ranks at the top in the conference in several offensive categories, including first in the league in team assist average (13.33 assists/s), team kill average (13.99 kills/s) and second in team hitting percentage (.242). Middle blocker Mikaelyn Sych ranks first in the Big Sky in individual hitting percentage (.383), while teammate Katy Wilson has a third-best Big Sky hitting percentage of .374. Senior libero Tasha Bojanic leads the Viking defensive effort with her league-best dig average of 4.94 digs per set. Portland State will first face Northern Arizona.
Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks enter this year’s tournament as the fifth seed. Over all matches this season, Northern Arizona tops the league in service ace average (1.45). The ‘Jacks also rank third in the league in total digs (1,660) and dig average (16.60 digs/s). Offensively, NAU is spurred on by middle blocker Abby Akin and outside hitter Kaylie Jorgenson. Akin ranks fifth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.360), while Jorgenson has a kill average of 3.84 kills per set, which also ranks third in the league. NAU takes the court against No. 4 Portland State on Thursday.
Idaho State: The Bengals picked up the sixth seed for this year’s Big Sky Tournament. Sophomore Haylie Keck is one of the Big Sky’s top liberos as she ranks second in the league in both assists (533) and assist average (4.89 digs/s). On the offensive side, junior outside hitter Abby Garrity ranks seventh in the league in kill average (3.43 kills/s). Idaho State will face No. 3 Idaho.
Weber State: Weber State enters this year’s tournament as the seventh seed, making this its first Big Sky tournament appearance since 2008. The Wildcats are led defensively by veteran libero Cavalcanti Thamires, who ranks seventh in the league in dig average (4.21 digs/s). Weber State also has a pair of sophomore middle blockers, Hannah Hill-DeYoung and Aubrey Saunders, who rank fourth and eighth in block average, respectively. Weber State will battle against No. 2 North Dakota on Thursday.
Northern Colorado: The Bears come in to the championships with the No. 8
seed. Northern Colorado is ranked second in the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage, allowing foes to hit just .184 in all matches this season. Junior Kortney Lockey ranks 10th in the conference in kill average (3.27 kills/s). The Bears will face Sacramento State in the quarterfinals.