Freshman outside hitter Jenna Mullen was already an accomplished volleyball player before arriving on the Portland State campus.
 
The Puyallup, Wash. native racked up the accolades as a high school player at Emerald Ridge and a club player with Puget Sound Volleyball Academy. In high school competition, she was a three-time league MVP. She set her high school career records for kills and blocks. Mullen was named to all-state tournament teams in her junior and senior seasons. Her name even showed up on multiple all-American lists.
 
Those honors are just a portion Mullen received as a prep athlete. For good reason, she was on Portland State's radar. It didn't take long for that sentiment to become mutual.
 
"First of all, I love that Portland State is close to home. Whenever I would come to visit, the coaches and players on the team were all really nice and welcoming," Mullen said. "I felt really at home here. I thought it would be a great experience and a fun opportunity to play here."
 
As it turned out, the Vikings were not strangers within the Puget Sound Volleyball Academy circle. Both of Mullen's PSVA coaches played at Portland State. The Vikings were also recruiting one of Mullen's teammates, Eva Linden.
 
Mullen and Linden go way back. They started playing volleyball together when they were 11 years old and continued as teammates at PSVA through high school. Mullen and Linden were not about to let that end.
 
"I committed first, so I told her, 'you have to go to Portland State. It would be so much fun,'" Mullen said.
 
Linden did commit to become a Viking and the two are now both major contributors as freshmen. Mullen currently leads the Vikings in kills per set with Linden just behind.
 
"Since our club coaches played here, it is pretty cool for us to carry on that tradition," Mullen said. "It is so much fun to be able to play in college with one of my best friends. Not very many people get to do that."
 
Mullen is coming off a match-high 16 kills in the Vikings' five-set win over Weber State. She has recorded double-digit kills in seven of her last eight matches. 
 
Fast Facts
Number: 4
Position: Outside Hitter
Major: Family and Child Studies
Career Aspiration: Elementary School Teacher
Favorite Food: Ice Cream