SACRAMENTO – The 2022 Sacramento State Volleyball Season is drawing to a close and the team, equipped with eight returning players and five starters from a year ago, will return to the field for its first official training on Tuesday, May 10. 9 August.
Head Coach Ruben Volta, in his 15th season, will host pre-season practice sessions nearly every day starting Tuesday and running through the end of August. The team’s final pre-season practice will be on August 25 in preparation for the inaugural Sacramento State Invitational August 26-27. Wasps welcome Nevada, Middle Tennessee, and Portland to the Nest for The tournament lasted two days.
Last year, Sacramento State announced a 16-12 overall record, including a 10-6 at the Big Sky Conference and a 12-4 at home. The Hornets have won each of the last eight home games of the season, all through three goals. In addition, the team won 8 of the last 9 matches to close the regular season.
Among those who returned this year were startups from outside (Bridgette Smith and Caitlin Volkmann), settlers (Ashtin Olin), middle blocker (Kalani Hayes) and libero (Caty Cordano). Also, the right header Karlee Soderberg (13), middle block Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin (12) and the right header Ellie Tisko (1) also back after starting the matches a year ago. Smith was the first team to be selected all of Big Sky while both Hayes and Olin were selected to the second team.
Hornet welcomes seven freshmen, the newest on the Hornet roster since 2014 the team has eight new players.
The team’s lineup has 15 players, including three seniors, four juniors, one sophomore and seven freshmen. The squad is divided into five players who can see time on the outside in attack, four midfield midfielders, three on the right, two scorers and three defensive specialists.
CELEBRITY
• Sacramento State coaching staff to remain the same in 2022, with head coach Ruben Volta and assistant coach Sarah Chlebana and Ed Jackson. All three played for and graduated from Sacramento State. Both Volta and Jackson are members of the Sacramento State Men’s Volleyball Hall of Fame while Chlebana was a four-year starter and two-time pick for the women’s team from 1997-00.
• In total, Sacramento State will play 28 games in the regular season, including 12 at home. The Hornets opened the season by playing four of the first five games at home before a round that would see the team play eight consecutive home games.
• Nest will have a much different look than what fans remember. Previously, the venue had white walls and white ceilings. During the summer, the facility received a major paint job, including a black ceiling and dark green walls.
• 16 of the team’s 28 matches will be against rival Big Sky and end with 5 of the last 7 games of the season at home. Seniors Day will be Saturday, November 18. The Hornets will play every team in the convention twice, with the exception of Weber State (road) and East Washington (home). Southern Utah has been on Big Sky for the past 10 years, but no longer participates in the conference after arriving at WAC.
• Over the past seven years, Sacramento State has combined an 80-35 conference record, including a dominant 50-7 record at home.
• The Annual Alumni Game will take place later this month. The game will be played on Saturday, August 20 at 11 a.m. inside the Nest. Later that day at University Union at 5 p.m., three former players – Carissa Buie, Lindsay Haupt and Kristin Lutes – will be introduced at Sacramento State Volleyball Hall of Fame.
• All Hornets home games, and every game inside the Big Sky Conference venue, will stream video on ESPN+.
• Kalani Hayeswho wore the number 12 shirt last season, will switch to the number 2 shirt this year.
