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This Week
The Portland State Vikings (14-10 overall, 11-3 Big Sky Conference) open a pivotal four-match home stand when they host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (3-22, 2-12) Thursday night. PSU will then host Northern Arizona (16-7, 10-4) Saturday, Nov. 9. Both matches will be 7 p.m. starts at the Peter W. Stott Center.
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 viewers need to create a user name and password through the website, and tune in about five minutes before the match begins.
Last Week
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.
All-Time Series Marks
Portland State holds the all-time series mark against both Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. PSU is 3-0 all-time against SUU with the first meeting coming last season when SUU entered the Big Sky. Portland State is 18-17 all-time and in Big Sky play against Northern Arizona.
Up Next
The Vikings continue their home stand next week with conference leading North Dakota (11/14) and Northern Colorado (11/16). The match with the Bears will be Portland State's Senior Day.
Looking at Southern Utah
Southern Utah broke a 14-match losing streak Monday night with a five-set win over Northern Arizona by scores of 25-18, 24-26, 25-20, 19-25, and 15-10. It was just the third win by the Thunderbirds this season. They opened the conference season with a win over Weber State on Sept. 19 but had not won since. SUU is 2-7 at home, 1-9 on the road, and 0-6 at a neutral location this season.
The Thunderbirds are hitting .151 as a team this year, 10th in the league, while their opponents are hitting .210, fifth in the BSC. They are last in assists (9.85), aces (0.88), and kills (10.56). They are a decent blocking team averaging 2.53 per match.
SUU has only four players who are ranked in the Big Sky top 10 in any statistical category this year. Taylor Heine and Ann Clappier are fifth and ninth respectively in blocks per game while Joanna Christenson is seventh in assists (8.85 apg) and Sariah Pelaez is eight in digs (3.55 dpg).
Last time vs. SUU
Portland State took the first meeting of the season in straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-20.
Jaklyn Wheeler posted a match-high 13 kills.
Aubrey Mitchell posted 10 kills while hitting .588 (10-0-17). The Vikings out-hit the Thunderbirds .237-to-.065 for the match.
Looking at Northern Arizona
The Lumberjacks fell to third place at 10-3 in Big Sky play with their five-set loss at Southern Utah Monday. They had been riding a four-match winning streak including giving top-ranked North Dakota its first conference loss of the season in a straight sets win at home on Oct. 19. NAU is 9-2 at home, 4-4 on the road, and 3-1 at a neutral location this season.
Northern Arizona is second in the league with a .236 hitting percentage and is holding its opponents to a league-best .172. The Lumberjacks are second in the league with 2.61 blocks and fifth in assists (11.91), kills (12.73), and aces (1.21) per set.
Taylor Stephens is fourth in the league with a .318 hitting percentage and second with 1.27 blocks per set. Janae Vander Ploeg is third with 3.38 kills per set and 3.98 points per set.
Last time vs. NAU
Northern Arizona gave Portland State its first conference loss of the season on Oct. 3 in Flagstaff, AZ after PSU opened up 4-0. The Lumberjacks took the match in straight sets by scores of 25-22, 25-23, and 26-24. Sydney Kemper posted a match-high 14 kills for NAU while posting 11 digs for a double-double.
Aubrey Mitchell had 13 kills as the Vikings hit .091 as a team, their worst mark in conference play.
Garyn Schlatter posted a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs.
Special Week Events
The Rosebuds, the Portland Winterhawks dance team, will perform during the intermission at Thursday's match with Southern Utah. Saturday's match with Northern Arizona will be PSU's Native American Heritage Appreciation 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 4,135 career assists which is currently ranked 17th in the country among active career leaders.Â
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 117 straight matches missing just one set of a possible 435. She played her 100th career match against Pacific (9/7) and is now tied for first on Portland State's Division I era career matches played list with Jessica Brodi and Diana Villalpando. Her 435 career sets played is a new PSU DI record.
Moving On Up
Junior Kasimira "Kasi" Clark continues to move up the career digs list at Portland State. She currently has 1,243 career digs which moves her into eighth all-time at PSU and third during PSU's Division I era (1996-present). Clark is 56 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 is the first team to secure its spot in the Big Sky Volleyball Tournament with a 13-1 conference record. Portland State is second at 11-3 and can secure a tournament spot with a win against Southern Utah Thursday night. Northern Arizona fell to 10-4 after losing to last place Southern Utah Monday night. Saturday's match against NAU will go along way in determining the seeds for the Big Sky Tournament as the Vikings look to even the season series with the Lumberjacks. NAU defeated PSU earlier this season in Flagstaff, AZ. Idaho State is in fourth with a 9-5 mark while Sacramento State and Montana are at 8-6. If the season ended today, Northern Colorado, the tournament champion from a year ago, would be on the outside looking in. Â
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.
Home Sweet Home
Portland State has fared very well at the Peter W. Stott Center under head coach
Michael Seemann. The Vikings are 69-14 (.831) overall under Seemann at home and 52-4 (.929) in Big Sky play. They are 9-3 overall at home this season.
Nationally Ranked
The Vikings are ranked 14th in the country as a team in aces per set with a mark of 1.70 and 44th in assists per set (12.84). Kasimira "Kasi" Clark is ranked 28th in the nation in digs per set with a mark of 5.05.
Above .500
With its sweep last weekend, the Portland State volleyball program moved two matches over .500 since moving to the Division I level and joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. The Vikings are 254-252 in Division I play and 141-139 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
The Vikings lead the league in service aces (1.70) and digs (15.33) per set. Kasimira "Kasi" Clark leads the league with 5.05 digs per set. The Vikings have four players in the top 10 in aces per set.
Kaeli Patton is fourth (0.34), Clark is fifth (0.29),
Garyn Schlatter is ninth (0.28), and
Leigh-Ann Haataja is 10th (0.27).
Patton's Streak
Senior OH
Kaeli Patton has recorded a season-high eight straight double-digit kill performances. The streak started with 13 kills at Northern Colorado on Oct. 10. She has 103 kills (3.43 kills per set) over the streak and is hitting .273. She also has 11 aces, 33 digs (1.10 digs per set), and 11 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 fourth 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 has two,
Jaklyn Wheeler has one, and
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 113 in the country. They are the highest ranked Big Sky school thanks to a tough non-conference schedule. North Dakota (116), Idaho State (134), and Northern Arizona (142) 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 added a fourth double-digit ace performance with 10 against Weber State (10/19) and a fifth, again with 10, at Eastern Washington (10/28).
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.
Road Win
Portland State's win at Southern Utah (10/5) was its first away from the Peter W. Stott Center this season. The Vikings started the season 0-3 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites before defeating the Thunderbirds in Cedar City, UT. PSU is now 3-7 away from home this season.
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.
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.
