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Match No. 7  •  Tuesday, Sept. 7  •  7:00 p.m.
Portland State (3-3) vs. No. 19 Oregon (4-0)
Portland, OR  •  Stott Center

Match No. 8  •  Friday, Sept. 10  •  11:00 a.m.
Portland State (3-3) at Santa Clara (4-2)
Santa Clara, CA  •  Leavey Center

Match No. 9  •  Friday, Sept. 10  •  8:00 p.m.
Portland State (3-3) at San Jose State (1-5)
San Jose, CA  •  Spartan Gym

Match No. 10  •  Saturday, Sept. 11  •  1:00 p.m.
Portland State (3-3) vs. Cal State Northridge (2-4)
San Jose, CA  •  Spartan Gym

THIS WEEK: The Vikings return to the Stott Center for their second home match of the season and second against a Pac-10 school when they take on No. 19 Oregon on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PSU then travels to the Bay Area, where they will take part in a two-day tourney hosted by Santa Clara and San Jose State. The Vikings take on Santa Clara on Friday at 11 a.m., before facing San Jose State later that day at 8 p.m. They close it out with a match against Cal State Northridge on Saturday at 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKS THIS WEEK: Tuesday night's home match against Oregon will feature live audio and video streaming, as well as live stats. Links for both can be found on GoViks.com under the LIVE EVENTS tab. Down in California, all three matches should have live stats. Links for those matches can be found on GoViks.com under the LIVE EVENTS tab.

THE WEEK THAT WAS IN PSU VOLLEYBALL: The Vikings went 1-3 last week and now are 3-3 on the season. PSU played host to Oregon State last Tuesday and won the first two sets before falling, 3-2. At the Northwest Challenge in Boise, the Vikings lost 3-0 to No. 9 Washington and 3-2 to Boise State, but defeated Gonzaga, 3-2. Senior middle blocker Lana Zielke earned all-tournament honors at the two-day event.

A BIG WEEK FOR ZIELKE: Senior middle blocker Lana Zielke was the lone Viking player to be named to the all-tournament squad at the Northwest Challenge. In three matches Zielke averaged 2.08 kills, 1.15 blocks and 0.31 service aces per set, while also hitting .383 (27-4-60). Zielke was a bright spot against ninth-ranked Washington on Friday, hitting .455 (5-0-11) and tallying five kills, four blocks and one ace. She also hit .444 (10-2-18) with block and two aces against Gonzaga, and hit .323 (12-2-31) with six blocks and one ace vs. Boise State.

WHAT A SET!: In their 3-2 victory over Gonzaga on Saturday, the Vikings won set three, 25-8. That marked the first time they had allowed fewer than 10 points in a set since defeating Prairie View A&M, 30-5, in a sweep on Sept. 17, 2005.

A NEAR LOCK FOR DOUBLE-DIGITS: Since arriving at PSU in the fall of 2009, Whitney Phillips had been a near lock for double-digits in kills. The senior outside hitter has tallied at least 10 kills in 33 of 35 matches, an impressive feat. On Friday against No. 9 Washington, Phillips had just six kills. The other time she failed to reach double-digits was on Oct. 7, 2009, when PSU swept Seattle. In that match, Phillips took a season-low 26 swings and came away with eight kills.

REACHING THE 20-KILL MARK: Not only has Whitney Phillips been a near lock for double-digits, but she has also posted at least 20 kills 14 times in her one-plus seasons on the Park Blocks. In 2009, Phillips reached that barrier 10 times, and so far this year she has done it in four of six matches, while narrowly missing that mark with 19 against Mercer on Aug. 28. Phillips has a career-high of 32, set against Seattle in the 2010 season opener on Aug. 27, after putting up a season-high of 28 in 2009.

A LEADER ALL THE WAY: Senior outside hitter Whitney Phillips is one of two PSU captains this season and was also one last year after transferring in from New Mexico State. Phillips has been a leader for the Vikings both on and off the court, but it's on the court where she gets the most attention. Last year, Phillips led the Big Sky in kills and points per set and is doing so again this year. She currently has three of the top 10 kills performances this year in the Big Sky, including a conference best 32 against Seattle on Aug. 27.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE: When Whitney Phillips hung 32 kills on Seattle on Aug. 27, it was the most by a Viking in almost four years. No PSU player had tallied at least 30 kills since Jessica Brodie posted 36 against San Francisco on Nov. 25, 2006. Brodie actually had three 30-plus kill performances that season, tallying 33 at Oregon on Aug. 27, and 30 at Weber State on Sept. 14. Last season, Phillips' high was 28 at Weber State on Sept. 25.

DOUBLE ME UP: Portland State players have tallied eight double-doubles on the season, the second most in the Big Sky behind Sac State's nine. Whitney Phillips is tied for the third most in the conference with three, Garyn Schlatter and Alexa Rosendale both have two, and Dominika Kristinikova has the other.

THE NEW LOOK 6-2: With the loss of setter Nique Fradella to graduation, the Vikings have been running a 6-2 offense after running a 5-1 for many years. The Vikings have two young, very skilled setters in sophomore Dominika Kristinikova and redshirt freshman Garyn Schlatter, and Head Coach Michael Seemann will play both of them all season long. That means PSU probably won't have a player lead the Big Sky in assists, as Fradella did in 2009. That doesn't matter much, though, because Schlatter's attacking ability is a big addition to the offense and Kristinikova runs the offense very smoothly. Schlatter had a good weekend in Boise, posting double-doubles against Gonzaga and Boise State, while “Domi” tallied the first one of her career vs. Boise State.

IT'S HAMMY TIME: A starter throughout her career on the Park Blocks, senior MB/OH Christie Hamilton has always been a force at the net for the Vikings. Last season she earned honorable mention All-Big Sky status after ranking sixth in the conference in blocks per set (0.87). Her first three seasons, Hamilton teammed up with the now-graduated Erica Jepsen to form a potent blocking combo. Now she's joined up with senior Lana Zielke and has started her senior season off in good fashion. Hamilton is fourth on the team in kills (1.60 kps) and second in blocking (0.80 bps), and is hitting .248. She has a team-high five solo blocks.

A SOLID ADDITION: Heading into the season it was known that the Vikings would rely heavily on Whitney Phillips on the outside. What wasn't known was who else PSU could go to after they lost three outside hitters to graduation. After two weeks of play, it appears that sophomore Alexa Rosendale is going to be a solid addition on the outside. After redshirting in 2008, Rosendale saw action in just 10 matches last season and posted six kills. 2010 is a different story, as she is second on the team averaging 1.84 kps, while also ranking second in digs per set (2.63).

SCOUTING OREGON: The Ducks are off to a 4-0 start and are ranked 19th in the AVCA poll released on Sept 6, down one spot from a week ago. They have swept three of their four matches, with their other victory a 3-1 win at Fresno State. Senior OH Heather Meyers has led the way, averaging 3.77 kps, 0.77 bps and 0.60 saps while hitting .350. Three other UO players are averaging at least 2.00 kps and the Ducks are hitting a very impressive .346 on the year. They also have outstanding numbers for service aces (1.62 saps) and blocking (2.19 bps). Other offensive standouts so far have been Freshman MB Ariana Williams (2.38 kps, .532), sophomore OH Katherine Fischer (3.62 kps, .282, 0.77 bps) and sophomore OH Alaina Bergsma (2.69 kps, .362). Freshman setter Lauren Plum is dishing out 12.64 assists per set. Sixth-year Head Coach Jim Moore had a 96-60 record at Oregon coming into this year. He has guided the Ducks to four straight postseason appearances.

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA: The Broncos are off to a 4-2 start, having lost 3-0 to Oregon in their season opener and 3-2 to Pacific. They swept Big Sky opponent Sac State on Sept. 1. Sophomore RS Kaleigh Durket has been a force for Santa Clara, averaging 3.92 kps, 2.29 dps, 0.62 bps and hitting .337, while sophomore MB Dana Knudsen is averaging 3.00 kps and hitting .331. Junior MB Tanya Schmidt has been effective at the net, posting averages of 1.96 kps and 0.79 bps, and a .304 hitting mark. Libero Bridget O'Hara is averaging a remarkable 5.79 digs per set. Santa Clara is hitting just .193, but has held the opposition to a .185 percentage. The Broncos missed the NCAA tournament last season after making it 11 straight years. They were in the 2008 NCAA Seattle Regional with the Vikings. In his 12th season, Head Coach Jon Wallace sports a 230-100 record at Santa Clara.

SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans are 1-5 in 2010, picking up their lone victory in their most recent match, a 3-0 sweep of UC Riverside. In four of their five losses they have been swept. Like PSU, San Jose State has also played Gonzaga, losing 3-0. The Spartans are led by Freshman LS Hanna Blume (2.71 kps, 2.47 dps), Sophomore MB Alex Akana (2.11 kps, .275, 0.89 bps) and senior libero Courtney Zellmer (5.00 dps). SJSU is hitting only .099, while opponents have posted a .248 mark. San Jose State is coming off a 1-27 season. Head Coach Oscar Crespo is in his fourth year with the program.

SCOUTING CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: The Matadors are 2-4 on the year, having lost 3-1 to Sac State on Sept. 4 in the championship match of the Sacramento State Invitational. They have also lost to Big Sky opponent Northern Colorado, 3-2, on Aug. 28, in San Diego. Freshman OPP/RS Natalie Allen is leading the team in kills (3.67 kps) and is third in blocking (0.79 bps), while hitting .301. Sophomore OH/DS Monica McFarland has chipped in 3.04 kps and hit .305, freshman OH Mahina Haina has averaged 2.88 kps, and junior MB/OH Puneet Pataria is hitting .352 while averaging 1.31 bps. Additionally, senior MB Lynda Morales leads the team in blocking, posting 1.33 bps. The Matadors are hitting .262 and outblocking the opposition, 2.35-1.62. Head Coach Jeff Stork brings a 116-142 career record into his ninth season.