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THE UPCOMING WEEK: The Portland State women's volleyball team (18-9 overall, 14-2 Big Sky Conference) heads back out on the road for its final road trip of the regular season. The Vikings will travel to Grand Forks, N.D. for the first time in program history to take on North Dakota on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. PT. They will then travel to Greeley, Colo., site of this year's Big Sky Tournament, to face off with last year's champion Northern Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m.
 
THIS WEEKS SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES PACIFIC)
at North Dakota (11/8) at 5:00 p.m. PT – Live Stats | Live Video
at Northern Colorado (11/10) at 6:00 p.m. PT – Live Stats | Live Video
 
MEDIA: Live stats will be available for both matches by visiting GoViks.com and clicking on the LIVE EVENTS tab or by visiting the volleyball schedule page. Every conference match will be streamed live on Big Sky TV at BigSkyTV.org.

ACROSS THE SKY: Portland State enters the weekend tied atop the Big Sky Conference with Idaho State at 14-2. The Bengals have won their last four matches while the Vikings are coming off their second conference loss of the season last weekend at Northern Arizona. Northern Arizona is third at 12-4 while Northern Colorado is fourth at 11-5. All four teams have qualified for the Big Sky Tournament later this month in Greeley, Colo. Montana State and North Dakota are tied for fifth at 8-8 and could clinch tournament spots this week. Sacramento State and Southern Utah are next at 5-11 and need to virtually win out to have a chance at making the tournament. Montana and Eastern Washington are 4-12 while Weber State is last at 3-13.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Portland State and Idaho State lead the Big Sky at 14-2. Idaho State has won four straight and nine of its last 10 while the Vikings are 8-2 in their last 10. The Bengals defeated the Vikings earlier this season 3-0 in Pocatello, Idaho. The Vikings and Bengals meet once more this season in both teams' season finales on Nov. 17 at the Stott Center. If both keep winning, the Nov. 17 match could determine the regular season champion and the tournament host for 2013. The Nov. 17 match will also be senior day for the Vikings.
  
LAST WEEKEND: Portland State split a pair of matches last weekend on the road. PSU started the weekend with a five-set win over Southern Utah. Outside hitters Aubrey Mitchell and Jaklyn Wheeler paced Portland State with 15 kills apiece.
 
Wheeler added 10 digs to her 15 kills for her league leading 17th double-double of the year helping the Vikings to the win by scores of 12-25, 26-24, 25-17, 21-25, and 15-6. Setter Garyn Schlatter added her eighth double-double (45 assists, 14 digs) while outside hitter Megan Ellis added her 15th (11 kills, 10 digs). Sophomore middle blocker Leigh-Ann Haataja added 10 kills in the match giving the Vikings four players in double-figure kills.
 
PSU then fell in four sets to Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz. The teams split the first two sets before NAU took the final pair of sets to secure the victory. Ellis tallied her 16th double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs, but Northern Arizona came out on top by scores of 25-19, 19-25, 25-21, and 25-16. 
 
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA: North Dakota comes into the weekend 13-14 overall and 8-8 in the Big Sky following a five-set loss to Northern Colorado Monday night. Lexi Robinson leads UND in kills with 334 while Ronni Munkeby is second with 303. Nikki Husfeldt paces the squad with 1,091 assists, which is third in the conference. Lauren Clark is tops on the team with 421 digs.
 
North Dakota is 5-5 in its last 10 matches and 2-3 in its last five. UND is 6-5 at home and 4-4 in Big Sky home matches. North Dakota is in the middle of the pack in just about every statistical category. UND is hitting .200 as a team this season while holding its opponents to .196.
 
SERIES WITH NORTH DAKOTA: Portland State's match with North Dakota on Thursday will be just the fourth meeting between the two schools. PSU is 3-0 all-time against UND. It will be the first time the two have met in Grand Forks. The Vikings took the previous meeting this season, 3-0, at the Peter W. Stott Center on Oct. 6.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Bears are 18-8 overall, 11-5 in the Big Sky, and became the fourth team to secure their spot in the Big Sky Tournament with a five-set win over North Dakota Monday. The Bears are 6-4 in their last 10 matches since falling to the Vikings in straight sets on Oct. 4 in Portland. The Vikings will definitely be going into hostile territory at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion as the Bears are averaging over 850 fans per home contest. Northern Colorado will take on Eastern Washington on Thursday before hosting Portland State on Saturday.
 
The Bears lead the Big Sky in team hitting percentage with a mark of .251 and are holding their opponents to .192 hitting. They are also second in the conference in assists per set (12.77) and kills per set (13.71). They are last in the conference at the net only recording 205.5 blocks this season (2.12 bps).
 
UNC has three players in the conference's top 10 in hitting percentage led by Brianna Strong who is hitting .367 to pace the Big Sky. Andrea Spaustat is hitting .346 while Kelley Arnold is hitting .265. Arnold leads the team in kills per set (3.48), which is fourth in the conference. Marissa Hughes is fifth in the conference with 10.63 assists per set.
 
SERIES WITH NORTHERN COLORADO: Saturday's meeting will be the 26th all-time between Portland State and Northern Colorado. The matchup has turned into quite a rivalry with UNC taking three matches from PSU last season including the Big Sky Tournament Championship match at the Stott Center. Portland State took the previous meeting this season in three sets on Oct. 4 in Portland. PSU leads the series 17-8 all-time but the teams are 3-3 in Greeley, Colo.
 
THANKSGIVING PLANS: The Vikings already have their plans made for Thanksgiving weekend as they punched their ticket to the Big Sky Tournament with their win over Montana (10/27). The Vikings are 14-2 in conference and have four matches to play. 2012 will be the eighth consecutive season the Vikings have advanced to the tournament. 
 
14-2: Portland State is 14-2 in Big Sky Conference matches for the third time in the last four years under Head Coach Michael Seemann. In previous years it would mean a Big Sky regular season title for the Vikings and the end of the regular season. This year however, with the expansion of the Big Sky to 11 members with the addition of North Dakota and Southern Utah, the Vikings have four matches yet to play. PSU is 3-0 against the expansion teams this year and will face North Dakota for the second time this season on Thursday.  
 
MOVIN' ON UP
CAREER: Senior OH Megan Ellis has tallied 323 kills so far this season giving her 922 for her career which moves her into sixth in kills during PSU's Division I Era (1996-present). Junior S Garyn Schlatter has amassed 1,083 assists during the season giving her 3,093 for her career which moves her into fifth on PSU's all-time assists list.
 
SINGLE-SEASON: Junior OH Jaklyn Wheeler has recorded 394 kills in her first year on the Park Blocks which is just outside PSU's Division I single-season top 10 list. She is just two kills shy of tying for 10th at 396, Megan Ellis' mark from 2011. Garyn Schlatter's 1,083 assists this season is ninth on the PSU Division I list and is just outside the PSU all-time assists list. Kasimira Clark (37) and Kaeli Patton (34) are just outside the PSU Division I service aces list. Tenth on the list is Whitney Phillips with 39 in 2010.
 
HOME DOMINATION … AGAIN: Under Head Coach Michael Seemann, the Vikings are 58-11 (.841) overall at home and a staggering 44-4 (.917) in Big Sky home matches including an 8-0 mark this season. The Vikings have posted three 8-0 seasons under Seemann (2007, 2009, and 2010) and went 6-2 in both 2008 and 2011. The Vikings end the season with home matches with Weber State and Idaho State.
 
BLOCK PARTY: The Vikings recorded three straight double-digit blocking performances after only getting back-to-back double-digit blocking performances one other time this season. The Vikings recorded 10 blocks, including five solo blocks at Weber State (10/13). They then posted 12 blocks (0-24) against Eastern Washington (10/18) before adding 11 blocks (1-20) against Sacramento State (10/20).
 
THE TRIFECTA: Portland State brought home three straight Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week honors earlier this season. Megan Ellis (Sept .17-23) was named co-player of the week followed by Jaklyn Wheeler (Sept. 24-30). Garyn Schlatter then picked up her third career honor for the week of Oct. 1-7. It was the first time the Vikings earned three-straight honors since 2009 when Marija Vojnovic won the award followed by back-to-back honors for Whitney Phillips. It was also the first time that three different Vikings have earned the award in as many weeks.
 
HISTORIC OPEN: The Vikings started the conference season 8-0 for the first time since making the move to the NCAA Division I level and joining the Big Sky in 1996. The last time the Vikings started 8-0 was in 1995 which was their last season at the Division II level. They started 12-0 on their way to a 13-1 record as a member of the Pacific West Conference that year. The Vikings' eight-match winning streak matched the fourth longest winning streak during the Vikings' Division I era (1996-present).
 
HIT PARADE: The Vikings came out ready to play when they hosted Northern Colorado (10/4). Portland State hit a season-best .355 (48-10-107) as a team. It was the first time the Vikings hit over .350 as a team since hitting .432 (50-9-95) against Seattle University in 2010. Megan Ellis hit a team season-high .429 (14-2-28) in the match while Aubrey Mitchell posted a .500 (11-1-20) hitting percentage. The Vikings tallied 48 kills while committing only 10 errors in the three set sweep of the Bears.
 
ACES, VIKINGS, ACES: The Vikings tallied a season-high 10 service aces against Northern Arizona on Sept. 27, which is the most since the Vikings posted 10 against Seattle University on Aug. 31, 2011. Kasi Clark led the way for the Vikings with five aces; including three during a 7-0 PSU run in the third set. Clark's five aces are the most by an individual since Dominika Kristinikova tallied five against Weber State on Sept. 17, 2011. Clark is third in the Big Sky with 0.38 aces per set while the Vikings are fourth with 1.28 aces per set as a team.
 
ACES PART DEUX: Portland State improved its season best in service aces by posting a conference-best 14 service aces in a three-set sweep of Weber State (10/13). The Vikings recorded eight aces in the second set alone on their way to the season high. Kaeli Patton tallied a career-high six aces, which is the first time a Viking has tallied six or more aces since Whitney Phillips tallied six at Northern Arizona (10/16/10).
 
THE KEY TO A “W”: Over the past six seasons under Michael Seemann there has been one glaring key to a Portland State victory – winning the hitting percentage battle. The Vikings were 17-0 in 2011 when outhitting their opponent and are 16-1 this season. Since 2007 the Vikings are 114-7 (.942). When they get outhit, the Vikings are 5-48, including 1-13 last season and 2-8 this season.
 
DIGGING HER WAY INTO THE BOOKS: First-year libero Kasi Clark has taken well to her new roll. She began the year with a career-best 21 digs against Gonzaga, which she matched against UC Santa Barbara and again against Utah. She topped that mark with 30 digs at BYU before setting her current career mark of 41 digs at Sacramento State. With her 41 digs, Clark became the first Viking to surpass the 40-dig mark since Sarah Sirianni posted 43 at Idaho State in 2005.
 
MAKING AN IMPACT: Jaklyn Wheeler made her first appearance for the Vikings at the Northwest Classic and immediately made her presence known. She opened the season with a 21 kill, 20-dig performance against Gonzaga (9/24). She is second in the Big Sky Conference in kills with 394 and kills per set with an average of 3.94. She has recorded 17 double-doubles over the Vikings' first 27 matches and has posted a team-best five 20-plus kill performances including a career-best 26 at Montana (9/21). She was also named the Big Sky Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 24-30.
 
OUTSIDE TANDEM: Portland State's outside hitting tandem of Jaklyn Wheeler and Megan Ellis has proved to be the most prolific duo in the Big Sky Conference. Wheeler is second in the conference in kills with 394, while Ellis is sixth with 323. The duo combines for 717 total kills, which accounts for 53.6 percent of the Vikings' kills this season.
 
COMMANDING THE FLOOR: Junior S Garyn Schlatter has embraced her role as the on-court leader. She opened the season with a career-best 62 assists against Gonzaga (8/24) while adding 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. She added another 53 digs in the Vikings first win of the season against Boise State (8/25). She is second in the conference in assists with 1,083. Her 10.83 assists per set average is fourth in the conference.
 
CAREER MILESTONES: Megan Ellis surpassed the 900-kill mark against Montana (10/27) with a 13-kill performance, the 800-kill mark Northern Arizona (9/27), and the 700-dig mark against North Dakota (10/6). Aubrey Mitchell passed the 500-kill mark at Southern Utah (11/1) and the 400-kill mark against Southern Utah (9/29). Dominika Kristinikova passed the 600-dig mark against Montana State (9/22) and now has 662 for her career. Katie O'Brien surpassed the 200-kill mark at Montana (9/21) and now has 245 for her career. Garyn Schlatter tallied her 400th-career kill against Northern Colorado (10/4).
 
2012 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:
• Aug. 24 – Portland State picks up its first victory of the season in five sets against Boise State at the Northwest Classic.
• Sept. 1 – Portland State posted a season-high hitting percentage of .325 (51-11-123) against Northern Illinois at the Bankers Classic.
• Sept. 15 – Kasi Clark posted a career-best 41 digs against Sacramento State and is the first Vikings to surpass the 40-dig mark since Sarah Sirianni posted 43 at Idaho State in 2005
• Sept. 21 – Jaklyn Wheeler posted a career-best and team high 26 kills at Montana.
• Sept. 24 – Megan Ellis was named the Big Sky Volleyball Co-Player of the Week (Sept. 17-23).
• Sept. 27 – Kasi Clark posted five aces while the Vikings tallied a season-high 10 aces in a sweep of Northern Arizona.
• Sept. 29 – Portland State reached the double-digit win mark with a four-set win over Southern Utah. Head Coach Michael Seemann tallied his 70th career Big Sky Victory.
• Oct. 1 – Jaklyn Wheeler was named the Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week (Sept. 24-30).
• Oct. 4 – Portland State hit a season-high .355 as a team and moved to 7-0 to start Big Sky play for the first time since 2007. Megan Ellis hit a team season-best .429 (14-2-28).
• Oct. 6 – The Vikings moved to 8-0 in conference play for the first time since moving to the NCAA Division I level in 1996.
• Oct. 8 – Garyn Schlatter was named the Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week (Oct. 1-7).
• Oct. 13 – Portland State tallied a season-high 15 service aces while Kaeli Patton became the first Viking to record six or more aces since 2010.
• Oct. 27 – Portland State qualified for the Big Sky Tournament with a 3-0 win over Montana. Garyn Schlatter hit the 1,000-assist mark for the season and Megan Ellis hit the 900-kill mark for her career.
 
LEADING THE SKY: Portland State leads the Big Sky in assists (1258), kills (1337), aces (147), aces per set (1.47), digs (1721), and digs per set (17.21). The Vikings are the only team with over 1,600 digs and their digs per set mark is 37th overall in the nation.
 
TICKETS: Single match tickets for the 2012 Volleyball season can be purchased at the door starting one hour prior to match time. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for youth (17 and under).
 
BIG SKY POLL: The Vikings were selected second in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Portland State was picked to finish second with one first-place vote and 88 total points trailing 2011 regular season and Big Sky Tournament winner Northern Colorado by 11 points. In 2011 PSU defeated Sacramento State in the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament, but lost to Northern Colorado in the championship. Portland State finished the 2011 campaign 18-13 overall and 12-4 in the league.
 
LAST SEASON: PSU finished the 2011 campaign with an 18-13 overall record and finished second in the Big Sky regular season with a record of 12-4, one match behind Northern Colorado. After defeating Sacramento State in the Big Sky Tournament semifinals, the Vikings fell to Northern Colorado in straight sets to end their season.
 
THE MAN IN CHARGE: In his sixth season as the head coach, Michael Seemann has compiled a 119-56 overall mark and 78-18 Big Sky record during his time on the Park Blocks. In his previous five seasons at Portland State, Seemann posted 20-win seasons four times. He has led the Vikings to three Big Sky Conference regular season titles (2007, 2009 and 2010), and a pair of conference tournament titles (2008 and 2010).
 
His Viking squads have been particularly impressive at the Peter W. Stott Center, going 58-11. The 2010 Big Sky Coach of the Year, Seemann has watched his players be named all-conference 19 times, including eight first team selections. In 2009, Nique Fradella was named Big Sky MVP, and in 2010 it was Whitney Phillips who was tabbed at the league's top player.
 
Seemann spent two years as an assistant under Jeff Mozzochi before taking the reigns; he was a big part of the Vikings' turnaround in 2005. Since he has been a part of the program, PSU has gone 161-72. PSU players have also excelled in the classroom over the past five years, with 39 players being named to the Big Sky Fall All-Academic Team, including a school record 10 in 2010.
 
Additionally, in 2008 and 2009, Erica Jepsen (2006-09) was a first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII honoree. In 2007, Jepsen was a third team pick, while Nique Fradella (2006-09) earned second team honors.
 
SCHLATTER PICKS UP VIKINGS THIRD STRAIGHT POTW: Junior setter Garyn Schlatter was named the Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 1-7. It was her third career player of the week honor. Schlatter led the Vikings to back-to-back conference sweeps over the 2011 regular season and tournament champion Northern Colorado and conference newcomer North Dakota too keep Portland State perfect in conference play at 8-0. Schlatter paced the Vikings with 68 assists on the weekend for an 11.33 assists per set average. She also led the team in blocks with eight (1-7) for a 1.33 blocks per set average. Schlatter added eight kills, nine digs, and two service aces on her way to a total of 14.5 points on the weekend.
 
WHEELER EARNS POTW HONORS: Junior OH Jaklyn Wheeler picked up the Vikings second consecutive Big Sky Volleyball Player of the Week honor after earning the honor for the week of Sept. 24-30. Wheeler tallied 36 kills over Portland State's two matches on the week and averaged 5.14 kills per set. She also tallied 18 digs (2.57 digs per set), four blocks (one solo, three assisted) and a team-best 38.5 points (5.50 points per set).
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Senior OH Megan Ellis earned Big Sky Conference Volleyball Co-Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 17-23. Ellis recorded 11 kills and six digs in a sweep of Eastern Washington (9/17) to start the week. She then posted her ninth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 10 digs in a five-set win at Montana (9/21) while adding an assist and a season-best three blocking assists. She capped her week by hitting .356 (19-3-45) with 19 kills while adding 13 assist for her 10th double-double in a four-set win at Montana State (Sept. 22). It was Ellis' first Player of the Week honor.