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This Week
The Portland State Vikings (16-10 overall, 13-3 Big Sky Conference) have first place on their minds as they prepare to take on North Dakota (19-9, 14-2) Thursday night at the Peter W. Stott Center. PSU can tie UND for the best record in the Big Sky with a win. Portland State will then take on conference rival Northern Colorado (11-15, 7-9) Saturday for Senior Day.
Live Stats
Live Stats will be available for both matches. Links can be found by visiting the volleyball schedule page on GoViks.com.
Live Video/Audio
Both matches will also be streamed live online at WatchBigSky.com. It is free to watch but a user name and password is required. Pregame begins 15 minutes prior to first serve.
Last Week
The Vikings remained perfect at home in Big Sky Conference action with wins over Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.
Kaeli Patton led the Vikings with 16 kills while hitting .520. PSU took the match by scores of 25-19, 25-15, and 25-16. PSU out-hit SUU .351-to-.151 in the match. Portland State evened the season series with Northern Arizona with a four set win. After dropping the first set 26-24, PSU took the next three by scores of 25-12, 25-19, and 25-17. Patton once again led the Vikings with 15 kills.
Jaklyn Wheeler posted her second double-double of the season with 14 kills and 10 digs while
Aubrey Mitchell added 10 kills.
All-Time Series Marks
North Dakota leads the short all-time series with Portland State 2-1. After taking the first meeting in the series last year, PSU has dropped the last two. The Vikings lead the all-time series with the Bears 19-9 overall and 11-4 in conference play.Â
Up Next
Portland State heads back out on the road for its final two matches of the regular season. The Vikings travel to Ogden, UT to take on Weber State Thursday, Nov. 21 before ending their season in Pocatello, ID against Idaho State Saturday, Nov. 23.Â
Looking at North Dakota
   North Dakota enters play Thursday as the top ranked team in the Big Sky Conference with a 14-2 record. UND went 5-7 to start the season, then rattled off 10 straight wins before losing at Northern Arizona in straight sets. North Dakota's only other conference loss came at home against Northern Colorado in four sets. North Dakota is 8-3 overall on the road and 5-1 on the road in conference.
   North Dakota has the top hitting percentage in the league with a .252 mark while holding its opponents to just a .187. UND is tops in the league in kills (13.81 kps) and blocks (2.5 bps).
   Lisa Parlich (.378) and Ronni Munkeby (.324) are first and third in the Big Sky Conference respectively in hitting percentage. Munkeby is sixth in the league with a 3.17 kills per set mark. Nikki Husfeldt is second in the league with 10.94 assist per set. UND is ninth in the league with 0.99 aces per set. Parlich is fourth in the league with 1.20 blocks per set.
Last time vs. UND
North Dakota took the first meeting of the year in a five set back and forth marathon match in Grand Forks, ND on Oct. 12. UND took the first two sets by a combined five points before PSU took the third 27-25. The Vikings took the fourth set by a score of 25-23 and had three match points in the fifth and final set before UND came back to win it 18-16.
Leigh-Ann Haataja had a career match with 13 kills and 11 blocking assists.
Katie O'Brien,
Aubrey Mitchell, and
Kaeli Patton each had 12 kill.
Garyn Schlatter posted a double-double with 50 assists and 11 digs while Kasimira "Kasi" Clark posted a season-high 30 digs.
Looking at Northern Colorado
   After going 1-6 in its first seven conference matches, Northern Colorado has gone 6-3 to move into seventh in the conference at 7-9, one match out of the Big Sky Tournament. The Bears are 4-7 overall on the road this season but have done well in conference, giving Northern Arizona and North Dakota their first home losses of the season.
   Northern Colorado is tops in the league with 15.23 digs per set this season, just ahead of Portland State. Merideth Johnson is tops in the league with 5.13 digs per set. The Bears are hitting .217 as a team while opponents are hitting .197. Andrea Spaustat (.307) and Brianna Strong (.305) are fourth and fifth respectively in the conference in hitting percentage.Â
Last time vs. NC
Portland State took the first match with Northern Colorado 3-1 in Greeley, CO on Oct. 10. The Vikings took a wild first set 31-29 before dropping the second set 25-19. They then took the final two sets 25-10 and 25-22. Senior outside hitters
Aubrey Mitchell and
Kaeli Patton each tallied 13 kills for the match.
Garyn Schlatter came three kills short of her second career triple-double with 45 assists, 12 digs, and seven kills. PSU had five aces and seven blocks in the match.
Career Watch
One of the Best
Senior S
Garyn Schlatter surpassed the 4,000-career assists mark with 45 at Sacramento State (10/25). She became just the third Viking in program history to surpass the milestone. She now has 4,223 career assists which is currently ranked 17th in the country among active career leaders.Â
One of Five
Senior S
Garyn Schlatter is one of five players in the country with 3,000 career assists, 800 career digs, and 500 career assists. She has career marks of 4,223 assists, 968 digs, and 532 kills.
Miss Consistent
Senior S
Garyn Schlatter has been a mainstay on the court since she came to Portland State. After redshirting her true freshman year, she has played in 119 straight matches and 442-of-443 possible career sets. Both are tops on Portland State's Division I career lists.Â
Moving On Up
Junior Kasimira "Kasi" Clark continues to move up the career digs list at Portland State. She currently has 1,268 career digs which moves her into eighth all-time at PSU and third during PSU's Division I era (1996-present). Clark is 31 away from tying Therese Mariolle (1984-87) for seventh on the all-time list at 1,299. Clark surpassed the 1,000-career dig mark earlier this season against Eastern Washington (9/23).
News & Notes
Playoff Picture
North Dakota (14-2) was the first team to secure a spot in the Big Sky Volleyball tournament and has been joined by Portland State (13-3) as the only two to have punched their tickets to the tournament. Northern Arizona and Idaho State are tied for third in league play with 11-5 records. Montana sits in fifth at 9-7 while Sacramento State is sixth at 8-8. Eight teams are vying for the four remaining tournament spots as Weber State and Southern Utah are the only teams eliminated so far.
On the Line
Portland State can secure a share of first place with a win against North Dakota Thursday night. Finishing first or second in conference will guarantee the Vikings a first round bye in the Big Sky Tournament. The Vikings can claim one of the top 2 seeds with a sweep this week along with some help.
Big Sky Tournament
Portland State went 17-3 in Big Sky play in 2012 picking up its fourth conference regular season title under head coach
Michael Seemann. The Vikings took the title on the final day of the regular season defeating Idaho State in four sets. By virtue of winning the conference regular season title last season, the Vikings will host the Big Sky Tournament Nov. 29-30 at the Peter W. Stott Center. It will be the fourth time the Vikings have hosted the tournament, the first since 2011.
Big Sky Tournament Tickets
All-session passes and individual session tickets are on sale now. All-session passes are $25 for adults and $20 for youth and students. Individual session tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for youth and students. Call 503-725-3307 or 503.725.5627 for more information or order tickets online at GoViks.com.
Senior Day
Saturday's match with Northern Colorado will be Senior Day for Portland State. The Vikings will honor six seniors:
Aubrey Mitchell,
Kaeli Patton,
Cara Olden,
Jaklyn Wheeler,
Garyn Schlatter, and
Mariko Kawashima. They will be playing in their final regular season match at the Peter W. Stott Center.
Home Sweet Home
Portland State has fared very well at the Peter W. Stott Center under head coach
Michael Seemann. The Vikings are 71-14 (.835) overall under Seemann at home and 54-4 (.931) in Big Sky play. They are 11-3 overall at home this season.
Nationally Ranked
The Vikings are sixth in the country as a team in aces per set with a mark of 1.79 and 39th in assists per set (12.98). Kasimira "Kasi" Clark is ranked 40th in the nation in digs per set with a mark of 4.93.
Above .500
With its sweep last weekend, the Portland State volleyball program moved four matches over .500 since moving to the Division I level and joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. The Vikings are 256-252 in Division I play and 143-139 in Big Sky play.
Monster Hitting Night
Portland State hit a season-high .542 against Weber State (10/19). It was the highest hitting percentage performance under seventh-year head coach
Michael Seemann and was the first time the Vikings hit over .500 for a match since hitting .571 against Centenary College on September 16, 2005. The Vikings hit .500 or better in each of the three sets including hitting .600 in the final stanza. The Vikings were also a perfect 12-for-12 in side out chances in the second set.
Where They Rank in The Sky
During Big Sky Conference play, Portland State leads in all but one statistical category. The Vikings lead in hitting percentage (.253), opponent hitting percentage (.155), assists (13.66), kills (16.61), aces (2.20), and digs per set (15.32). They are fifth in blocks with 2.57 per set.
Patton's Streak
Senior OH
Kaeli Patton has recorded a season-high 10 straight double-digit kill performances. The streak started with 13 kills at Northern Colorado on Oct. 10. She has 134 kills (3.62 kills per set) over the streak and is hitting .293. She also has 12 aces, 38 digs (1.03 digs per set), and 12 blocks over the streak.
Patton's Career Night
Senior OH
Kaeli Patton led the Vikings to a three-set sweep of Idaho State (10/17) with a career-high 18 kills. She hit a staggering .457 in the match with just two attacking errors in 35 swings. She added three digs, four blocking assists and a service ace in the win.
Patton's Weekend
Senior OH
Kaeli Patton had a killer weekend from start to finish against both Idaho State (10/17) and Weber State (10/19). She tallied a team-high 28 kills (4.00 kps) while hitting a ridiculous .520 from the floor. She had just two errors on 50 attempts for the weekend. She added a team-high five service aces including four against Weber State. She recorded a pair of double-digit kill performances on the weekend giving her 11 for the season and four straight.
Haataja's Career Day
Junior MB
Leigh-Ann Haataja put together a career day against North Dakota (10/12). Haataja led the Vikings with a season-high 13 kills. She also recorded a career-high 11 blocking assists for her first career double-double. It was the first time a Viking recorded double-digit blocks since
Katie O'Brien had 11 against Northern Arizona in 2011.
Team Blocks
The Vikings recorded a season-high 18.0 blocks as a team at UND (10/12) which included season highs in solo blocks (3) and blocking assists (30). Their previous team high was 13.0 set against Arizona on Sept. 13.
Digging Away
The Vikings also set a season high in digs with 95 at UND (10/12). They were led by Kasimira "Kasi" Clark's season-high 30 digs.
Jaklyn Wheeler (18),
Cheyne Corrado (12), and
Garyn Schlatter (11) all had double-digit digs in the match.Â
Middles Lead the Charge
PSU had four players with double-digit kills at North Dakota (10/12). It was the first time since the Vikings did it against Southern Utah last season. Junior MB
Leigh-Ann Haataja led the way with a season-high 13 while fellow junior MB
Katie O'Brien matched her career high with 12. Senior OHs
Aubrey Mitchell and
Kaeli Patton each added 12.
Double-Doubles
Senior S
Garyn Schlatter leads the Vikings with eight double-doubles this season, which is tied for sixth in the Big Sky.
Kaeli Patton is second on the team with four and was the first Viking to record a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs against Oklahoma (9/7).
Cheyne Corrado and
Jaklyn Wheeler have two.
Leigh-Ann Haataja picked up her first career double-double at North Dakota with 13 kills and 11 blocks.
Hot Hitting Mitchell
Senior OH
Aubrey Mitchell hit .588 (10-0-17) connecting on 10 of her 17 attacks with no errors against Southern Utah (10/5). It was the first time this season that she was error free and the third time that she hit over .500 with 10+ kills in a match.
Inside the RPI
The first NCAA RPI (Rating Percentage Index) was released for volleyball on Oct. 7. The RPI is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. The Vikings debuted at 89 and are now 102 in the country. They are the highest ranked Big Sky school thanks to a tough non-conference schedule. North Dakota (108) and Idaho State (132) are the only other Big Sky schools ranked in the top 150.Â
Aces, Aces, and More Aces
Serving tough has been one of head coach
Michael Seemann's focal points since taking over the program in 2007. The Vikings began conference play with three straight double-digit ace performances. They posted 11 aces in their first two matches before increasing their season high to 12 against Montana. It was the first time that Portland State recorded 10-plus aces in three straight matches since 2006 when they did it against North Dakota State (10), Maryland-Baltimore County (12), and Weber State (12). PSU has had double-digit aces seven times this season including posting 10 aces in each of its last two matches.
Comeback
Portland State's four-set win over Montana State was the first time the Vikings had lost the first set and won since winning in five sets at Northern Colorado last season (11/10/12). PSU dropped the first set against the Bobcats 21-25 before winning the next three by scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-23.
Spreading it Around
Portland State had seven players with six or more kills against Montana State (9/28). All seven had 10 or more attacks with three having over 20. Six of the seven recorded 10 or more points. Senior S
Garyn Schlatter distributed the ball around the court with 42 assists. Senior OH
Aubrey Mitchell was the only Vikings with double-digit kills (11).
PSU vs. The Ranked
Portland State has faced four ranked opponents this season. The other 10 Big Sky Conference schools have combined for five matches against ranked opponents. Eastern Washington is the only team to have played more than one ranked opponent. North Dakota and Northern Colorado are the only other conference schools to face a ranked opponent.
Terminal Velocity
Senior OH
Kaeli Patton led the Vikings to a 2-1 record on the opening weekend of the season at the Northwest Challenge with 31 total kills. Patton has emerged as an offensive weapon for the Vikings after playing much of 2012 as a service specialist and recording just one kill a year ago. Patton averaged 3.44 kps on the opening weekend while hitting .349 (31-9-63). Patton added a pair of assists, two service aces, 12 digs (1.33 dps), and six blocking assists.
Hot Hitting Vikings
The Vikings opened the 2013 season with team hitting percentage of .457 (48-11-81). It was the first time the Vikings hit over .400 since hitting .432 against Seattle on Oct. 7, 2010.
Three Over .500
Three Vikings hit over .500 with 10 kills each in their season-opening sweep of Gonzaga. Senior OH
Kaeli Patton hit .524 with 13 kills, senior OH
Aubrey Mitchell hit .600 with 11 kills, and senior OH
Jaklyn Wheeler hit .615 with 10 kills.
Weekly Roundup
Week 1 – Northwest Challenge
The Vikings went 2-1 to open the season after hosting the Northwest Challenge. They opened with a straight sets win over Gonzaga (25-17, 25-19, 25-13). PSU then fell to No. 5 Washington in straight sets (22-25, 17-25, 10-25). A sweep of Boise State wrapped up the weekend for Portland State. The Vikings defeated the Broncos 25-15, 27- 25, and 25-16.
Week 2 – Midweek at Oregon and the PSU Volleyball Tournament
The Vikings fell in straight sets to No. 12 Oregon. After Oregon took the first set 25-10, the Vikings had set point in the second but could not finish out the set losing 28-26. Oregon took the final set 25-14 to complete the sweep. Senior OH
Kaeli Patton led the Vikings with seven kills. She also racked up a career-high 18 digs along the way. Portland State went 1-2 at the 2013 Portland State Volleyball Tournament. The Vikings opened the weekend with a straight set loss to No. 25 BYU. They took the first set against Oklahoma before dropping the final three, falling to the Sooners in four sets. Senior OH
Kaeli Patton posted the Vikings' first double-double of the season with a career-high 17 kills and 10 digs. Portland State took the first two sets against their final opponent of the weekend, Pacific. The Tigers then took the next two, forcing a fifth set. The Vikings came back to win the fifth set 17-15 and take the match. Three Vikings,
Kaeli Patton,
Cheyne Corrado, and
Garyn Schlatter, all recorded double-doubles against Pacific.
Week 3 - Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Volleyball Challenge
Portland State went 0-3 at the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Volleyball Challenge in Honolulu. The Vikings opened the week by being swept by No. 10 Hawaii. PSU took the first set against Arizona before dropping the match in four. The Vikings dropped their final match of the challenge to Northwestern in straight sets. Senior outside hitter, and Honolulu native
Kaeli Patton was named to the all-tournament team.
Week 4 - Big Sky Opening Weekend
The Vikings opened Big Sky Conference play with back-to-back wins against Sacramento State and Eastern Washington. It was the first time this season that they won consecutive matches. The Vikings easily dispatched the Sacramento State Hornets in straight sets. They took the match by scores of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-11.
Aubrey Mitchell led the Vikings with 11 kills while posting a season-high six blocks.
Kaeli Patton recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 10 blocks. Portland State moved to 2-0 in Big Sky Conference play with a sweep of Eastern Washington. They won by scores of 25-17, 25-19, and 25-15. Junior OH
Cheyne Corrado led the Vikings with 16 kills, one shy of her career high. She also added 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. The Vikings tallied 11 aces in the three sets, matching their season high set in the previous match against Sacramento State. They had back-to-back double-digit aces for the first time this season.
Week 5 - Welcoming the Montana Schools
Portland State stayed perfect in conference play with wins over Montana and Montana State last week at the Peter W. Stott Center. Three Vikings tallied 12 kills apiece as they defeated Montana in straight sets, 25-12, 25-17, and 25-11.
Jaklyn Wheeler picked up her first double-double of the season and hit a career-high .476 for the match. PSU also recorded its third straight 10+ ace performance with a season-high 12. After dropping their first set in Big Sky play, the Vikings won three straight sets to win in four by scores of 21-25, 25-19, 25-17, and 25-23.
Aubrey Mitchell led the team with 11 kills but it was a complete team effort as seven Vikings recorded six or more kills. Six Vikings had 10+ points in the match as well; senior S
Garyn Schlatter spread the ball around with 42 assists.
Week 6 - First Big Sky Road Test
The Vikings split their last road trip by falling in three sets to Northern Arizona before winning in three against Southern Utah.
Aubrey Mitchell led the Vikings with 13 kills in the loss to NAU while
Garyn Schlatter picked up her third double-double of the season, 40th of her career, with 30 assists and 10 digs.
Jaklyn Wheeler was the kills leader against SUU with 13 while Mitchell added 10 while hitting .588. It was the third time this season that Mitchell hit over .500 while recording 10+ kills. It was also the Vikings' first road win of the season.
Week 7 - Road Spit
The Vikings split their second straight Big Sky Conference road weekend. PSU defeated Northern Colorado in four sets before dropping a five-setter to conference undefeated North Dakota. The Vikings took a tough first set against UNC 31-29 before dropping the second set. They then took the final two to win in four.
Aubrey Mitchell and
Kaeli Patton each had 13 kills to lead the Vikings. PSU then dropped a five-setter at North Dakota. UND took the first two sets before the Vikings took the next two, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Vikings had three match points but were unable to finish out the match losing 18-16 in the fifth.
Leigh-Ann Haataja led PSU with a season-high 12 kills and a career-high 11 blocks.Â
Week 8 - Solid at Home
The Vikings stayed perfect at home last week with wins over Idaho State (3-1) and Weber State (3-0).
Kaeli Patton led the way for the Vikings with a career-high 18 kills in the win over the Bengals. PSU took the first two sets before ISU forced a fourth. The Vikings took the fourth by a score of 25-20. Portland State wrapped up the weekend with a monster hitting performance against Weber State. PSU hit a staggering .542 against the Wildcats committing just four errors in the match. The Vikings did not trail in the match and won by scores of 25-9, 25-11, and 25-15. It was the first time this season that PSU had held an opponent to less than 10 kills in a set.
Week 9 - Second Half of Conference Under Way
The Vikings split a pair of four-setters on the road losing at Sacramento State Friday night before winning at Eastern Washington Monday night. The Hornets took the opening match of the weekend by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 17-25, and 25-20. Three Vikings posted double-digit kills led by
Kaeli Patton's 17 but it was not enough.
Garyn Schlatter became the third Viking in program history to surpass 4,000-career assists in the match. She had 45 assists against the Hornets. Portland State bounced back with a win at Eastern Washington by scores of 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, and 25-11. The Vikings out-hit the Eagles .238-to-.149 while Patton once again led the Vikings with 12 kills.
Katie O'Brien hit .500 (10-1-18) in the match while Leigh-Ann Hattaja posted a career-high five aces while adding a match-high seven blocks.
Week 10 - Road Montana Sweep
Portland State swept both Montana schools on the road last week to improve to 11-3 in Big Sky play. The Vikings defeated Montana State by scores of 25-20, 25-12, and 25-18.
Kaeli Patton and
Jaklyn Wheeler each had 10 kills to lead the Vikings while
Katie O'Brien posted five blocks. PSU then defeated Montana by scores of 25-21, 25-15, and 25-15.
Aubrey Mitchell led the way with 13 kills, hitting .400 for the match. Patton added 11 kills. Kasimira "Kasi" Clark posted 24 digs in the match while
Garyn Schlatter posted her team-best eighth double-double of the season with 38 assists and 13 digs.
Week 11 - Vikings Sweep at Home
The Vikings remained perfect at home in Big Sky Conference action with wins over Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.
Kaeli Patton led the Vikings with 16 kills while hitting .520. PSU took the match by scores of 25-19, 25-15, and 25-16. PSU out-hit SUU .351-to-.151 in the match. Portland State evened the season series with Northern Arizona with a four set win. After dropping the first set 26-24, PSU took the next three by scores of 25-12, 25-19, and 25-17. Patton once again led the Vikings with 15 kills.
Jaklyn Wheeler posted her second double-double of the season with 14 kills and 10 digs while
Aubrey Mitchell added 10 kills.
Season Notes
Preseason Poll
The Vikings were selected to win the Big Sky Conference regular season in a vote of conference coaches. Portland State received 95 total points in the poll including seven of the 11 possible first-place votes.
Last Season
PSU finished the 2012 campaign with a 21-11 overall record and a 17-3 conference record winning the regular season title. The Vikings made a quick exit in the Big Sky Tournament, falling in straight sets to Northern Colorado in the semifinals.
Experience
The Vikings enter the season with an extremely experienced squad. Twelve of the 14 student-athletes on the roster are upperclassmen (six seniors, six juniors).
Strong Defense
Head Coach
Michael Seemann and the Vikings have prided themselves in their defensive play over the years. In the first six seasons under Seemann, opponents hit just .164. PSU has led the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage four of the six years.
Trio of Tournaments
Portland State will host three tournaments in 2013: two non-conference tournaments to start the season and the Big Sky Tournament in November. It is the first time since 2003 that the Vikings have hosted two non-conference tournaments.
Making Her Mark
Kasimira "Kasi" Clark made her mark on the Portland State records book in 2012 by setting the school's all-time single-season digs mark with 635. Her record propelled her into being named the conference's Libero of the Year.
Newcomer Back for More
Senior OH
Jaklyn Wheeler was named the Big Sky's Top Newcomer in 2012 after leading the Vikings with 423 kills for the season. Wheeler transferred from Oregon prior to the 2012 season. Wheeler is also coming off of a season-ending knee injury in the Vikings' final regular season of 2012.
