The Weber State women’s volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set thriller to Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon.

The Hornets and the Wildcats alternated wins, leading to 1-1 and 2-2 ties before the deciding fifth set. The final scoreline read 21-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-15, 11-15.

Senior outside hitter Megan Gneiting saw a big improvement in the team’s effort this week.

“Even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, I’m really proud of the way we fought,” Gneiting said.

The teams traded points early in the first game before the Hornets put together a six-point streak to lead 12-6.

The Wildcats attempted to make a comeback, shrinking the deficit down to two points before losing game one 25-21.

The Wildcats got down early in the second game, trailing the Hornets 6-1. Weber clawed their way back to tie the game at 13.

After a Hornet timeout, the Wildcats took their first lead of the match at 14-13 and increased their score to 20-13 thanks to an 11-point streak on serves from junior outside hitter Rylin Roberts. The Wildcats took the second game 25-17.

In game three, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, but the Hornets went on a small run, taking a 6-5 lead.

After three more lead changes and eight ties in the game, the Hornets broke out to a 19-14 lead before a Weber State timeout.

The Wildcats were able to shrink the lead down to two at 21-19 before the Hornets closed out game three on a four-point streak to win 25-19.

Game four began with the Hornets taking an early 6-2 lead. The Wildcats roared back to regain the lead 12-9. The Wildcats led for the rest of the game as they went on to win 25-15 to force a deciding fifth game.

The Hornets jumped out to an early 5-2 lead, although the Wildcats were able to reduce their deficit down to one at 6-5. The teams continued to trade points before the Wildcats took a timeout with the Hornets leading 10-7. The Wildcats fought hard but could not pull out the win, losing the fifth game 15-11.

Head coach Jeremiah Larsen had a reason for his team’s highs and lows throughout the match.

“It’s a simple equation. We served better and we passed tougher in the games we won,” Larsen said. “It’s us just taking care of our jobs.”

Redshirt freshman Dani Nay led the Wildcats with 16 kills, while Gneiting contributed 14 kills and 13 digs.

The Wildcats’ next home game takes place October 24 at the Swenson Gym against Idaho.