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THIS WEEK: The Vikings open Big Sky Conference play this week with a pair of matches at the Peter W. Stott Center. Portland State welcomes the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Thursday, Sept. 24 and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday, Sept. 26. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. PT start. 

TICKET SPECIAL: Saturday's match with Southern Utah will be a Portland State doubleheader, as the Football team hosts Western Oregon at Providence Park beginning at 2:05 p.m. Fans with a football ticket stub will gain free admittance to the volleyball match against the Thunderbirds. 

LIVE VIDEO: A live video stream will be available for every Big Sky Conference match the rest of the season through WatchBigSky.com A link can be found on the volleyball schedule page on GoViks.com. Due to the doubleheader with football on Saturday, the match with Southern Utah may be joined in progress. 

LIVE STATS: Fans can follow the action throughout the season, online via live stats. Live stat links for each match can be found on the volleyball schedule page on GoViks.com.

FOLLOWING THE VIKINGS: Fans can follow the Vikings all season long on Twitter. Follow @ViksVB for all the latest news, notes, and behind the scenes photos. Follow @PSU_Vikings for the latest on all 15 Portland State Athletics programs. 

LAST TIME OUT
• Portland State went 1-2 last weekend at the Lone Star Showdown in its final non-conference action of the season. The Vikings lost to Texas Tech (3-1), defeated Northwestern State (3-2), and fell to Washington State (3-0). 
• Portland State was outhit by Northwestern State (9/18) but still won in five sets. It was the first time that had happened since the Vikings won in five sets at home against Idaho last season. They also trailed 2-1 in the match and won for the first time in newly two years (at Idaho State, 11/23/13). 
• Freshman OH Jenna Mullen led the Vikings with 3.83 kills per set over the three matches including a career-high 19 kills at Texas Tech (9/18).
• Sophomore L Tasha Bojanic recorded 5.00 digs per set including a career-high 25 digs against Washington State (9/19) and was named to the Lone Star Showdown All-Tournament Team.
• Sophomore S Kylie Copple started her first match of her Portland State career at Texas Tech (9/18). She started all three matches last weekend recording 9.58 assists per set and recorded her first double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs against Northwestern State (9/18). 

NORTHERN ARIZONA QUICK HITS
• Ken Murphy is 40-22 in three years at Northern Arizona. He is 132-157 in nine seasons overall as a head coach. 
• Northern Arizona is 10-3 overall coming into Big Sky Conference action. The Lumberjacks are 3-0 at home but 1-3 on the road. They are also a perfect 6-0 in neutral site matches. 
• Northern Arizona and Portland State have two common non-conference opponents in Boise State and Grand Canyon. The Lumberjacks are 2-0 in those matches while the Vikings are 1-1 with a loss to Boise State to open the season. 
• The Lumberjacks went 21-8 overall in 2014 and 11-5 in Big Sky play to finish tied for fourth. They reached the Big Sky semifinals before falling in a five-setter to Idaho State. They return five letterwinners and four starters, plus their libero, from a year ago. 
• The Jacks are outhitting opponents .274-to-.178 on the season. Their .274 hitting mark is the best in the Big Sky. They are fourth in kills per set (12.90) and third in both blocks per set (2.46) and aces per set (1.70).
• Senior OH Janae Vander Ploeg leads the conference with 4.46 kills per set. She is also ninth in aces per set (0.36). She has tallied double-digit kills in all but one match this season, including five 20-plus kill performances. She tallied a season-high 26 kills in a five-set win over Loyola Marymount. She has seven double-doubles on the year, second in the Big Sky.

VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA: The all-time series between Portland State and Northern Arizona is tied at 19-19 dating back to the 1996 season when the Vikings joined the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings lead 12-7 at home. Portland State won 16 straight from 2004-2012 but Northern Arizona has won four of the last five meetings. NAU took both matches in 2014 by scores of 3-1 (at NAU) and 3-0 (at PSU). 

SOUTHERN UTAH QUICK HITS
• In his first season at Southern Utah, Craig Choate has led the Thunderbirds to a 9-4 record entering conference play. He is 345-262 in 23 years as a head coach. Southern Utah is 2-2 on the road and 7-2 at neutral sites. It has yet to play at home. 
• The Thunderbirds return 11 letterwinners and five starts from a team that went 14-15 overall and 6-10 in Big Sky play in 2014. 
• Southern Utah and Portland State have two common non-conference opponents in Gonzaga and Portland. The Lumberjacks are 1-1 in those matches after defeating Portland (3-0) and falling to Gonzaga (3-0), while the Vikings are 0-2.
• The Thunderbirds are hitting .210 as a team this season while opponents are hitting just .126, best in the Big Sky Conference. The T-Birds also lead the league with 2.98 blocks per set and are second with 16.17 digs per set. 
• Senior OH Madi Forsythe leads the team, and is second in the conference, with 4.04 kills per set. She is also ninth in the league with 0.37 aces per set. 
• Sariah Pelaez is second in the Big Sky with 4.88 digs per set. 
• Ann Clappier (1.53), Taylor Heine (1.31), and MaCail Wood (1.04) are second, third, and eighth respectively in the conference in aces per set. 

VS. SOUTHERN UTAH STATE: Portland State if 5-1 all-time against Southern Utah. The first meeting came in 2012 when SUU joined the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings took the first four meetings before Southern Utah won in Cedar City, Utah in 2014. The Vikings took the last match at the Stott Center in straight sets. 

TEAM NOTES: Here are some quick-hitters about the Portland State volleyball team through 12 matches:
• The Vikings are 4-8 overall this season. They are 2-1 at home, 0-4 on the road, and 2-3 in neutral site matches. 
• Portland State is 3-3 in three-set matches, 0-4 in four-set matches, and 1-1 in five-set matches. 
• Portland State defeated Northwestern State (9/18) in five sets after being down 2-1 in the match. It was the first time that had happened since the Vikings were down 2-1 on the road at Idaho State on Nov. 23, 2013. The Vikings came back to win the match and claim a share of the Big Sky regular season championship. 
• Portland State was outhit by Northwestern State (9/18) .196-.169 in the match but still took home the victory. It was the first time that had happened since the Vikings defeated Idaho at home in 2014. 
• Portland State is fourth in the Big Sky with 1.57 aces per set. The Vikings have recorded 69 aces on the season. 
• Portland State won three-straight matches earlier in the season for the first time since 2013. 

PATI ANAE QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Pati Anae, a junior transfer from the College of Southern Idaho.
• She is third on the team with 2.47 kps and has a team-high four double-doubles on the season. 
• She recorded five service aces against Portland (9/2), the most since Leigh-Ann Haataja posted seven against Southern Utah last season. 
• She had recorded at least one service ace in six-straight matches, but has not recorded an ace in the last four matches. 
• She has posted five double-digit kill and six double-digit dig performances. She has recorded double-digit digs in four of the last five matches, including three straight. 
• She was named to the Northwest Challenge All-Tournament team.

ERIN CLARK QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Erin Clark, a sophomore setter from Chino Hills, Calif. 
• She posted her first double-double of the season with 18 assists and 10 digs against Portland (9/2). 
• She posted back-to-back double-doubles with 19 assists and 12 digs against both Nevada (9/5) and Grand Canyon (9/5). She now has eight career double-doubles. 
• She and Kylie Copple have shared setting duties so far this season. She is averaging 5.00 assists per set while Copple is adding 5.32 aps. 
• She missed the last three matches due to injury. 

EVA LINDEN QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Eva Linden, a freshman outside hitter from Milton, Wash. 
• She leads the team with 3.11 kps and is hitting .168 on the season. Her kills per set mark is ninth in the Big Sky Conference and leads all freshmen in the league. 
• She recorded a career-high 19 kills against Southeastern Louisiana (9/12). She posted her first career double-double with a career-high 13 digs against SELU. 
• She has led the team in kills in eight of the last 10 matches. 
• She averaged 4.08 kps at the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev. She hit .300 with 2.00 dps. 
• She was named to the Rebel Challenge All-Tournament Team.

SARAH LIVA QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Sarah Liva, a sophomore middle blocker from Mililani, Hawaii.
• She leads the team with 40 total blocks (0.91 blocks per set). She led the Vikings in blocking in 2014. 
• She tallied seven blocking assists against Portland (9/2), the most since Katie O'Brien posted seven blocks against Sacramento State last season. 
• She matched her career high with three solo blocks against Southeastern Louisiana (9/12). 
• She matched her career high in kills with nine at Texas Tech (9/18) and against Washington State (9/19). 

JENNA MULLEN QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Jenna Mullen, a freshman outside hitter from Puyallup, Wash.
• She is second on the team with 2.90 kills per set and leads the team with 14 aces. 
• She ended the match against both Nevada (9/5) and Grand Canyon (9/5) with back-to-back aces. 
• She improved her career high in kills to 19 at Texas Tech (9/18). 
• She has led the Vikings in kills and attempts in two of the last three matches. 
• She has posted double-digit kills in six matches this season, five straight. 

MISCELLANEOUS PLAYER QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about other Vikings in 2015. 
• Sophomore L Tasha Bojanic has posted double-digit digs in 10 of the team's 12 matches. She has posted 20-plus digs in three of the last four matches including a career-high 25 digs against Washington State (9/19). 
• Bojanic posted her first career double-double with 10 assists and 23 digs against SELU (9/12). 
• Bojanic's 3.92 digs per set is seventh in the Big Sky Conference. 
• Bojanic recorded 5.00 digs per set including a career-high 25 digs in three sets against Washington State (9/19) and was named to the Lone Star Showdown All-Tournament Team.
• Sophomore S Kylie Copple started the last three matches for the Vikings, tallying 40-plus assists twice. She posted her first career double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs against Northwestern (9/18).  

SCHEDULE NOTES: Here are some quick hitters about the Vikings' 2015 schedule. 
• Portland State opened the season at the Northwest Challenge for the fourth-straight season, eighth-straight overall. Portland State is now 8-16 all-time at the Northwest Challenge taking two matches on the weekend three times. 
• Portland State and the University of Portland co-hosted a tournament Sept. 4-5. It was the first tournament hosted by the Vikings since the 2013 Big Sky Tournament. 
• The Vikings will face off against a pair of Pacific-12 Conference foes in 2015 when they face both Washington and Washington State. PSU lost in straight sets against both in 2014. Portland State fell by a combined 10 points against the Cougars on their home court. 
• The Big Sky Conference is in the second year of it's "un-balanced" schedule. Portland State will face everyone in the South Division (Idaho State, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, Sacramento State, and Weber State) twice, both home and away. Portland State will face everyone in the North Division (Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, North Dakota, and Northern Colorado) just once, alternating home and away each season.
• The top team in each division will get the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Big Sky Volleyball Tournament hosted by the No. 1 seed Nov. 19-21. Eight teams will earn seeds into the tournament with seeds 3-6 going to the next six best teams decided by conference record regardless of division.

PRESEASON QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about the 2015 Portland State volleyball team entering the season. 
• Portland State returns the youngest team in the Big Sky Conference with just four returning letterwinners, all sophomores. Portland State adds nine newcomers for the 2015 season, seven freshmen. 
• Portland State returns no outside hitters from 2014, two graduated and two left the program. The four outside hitters, along with two middle blockers who also graduated, accounted for 1,018 of the teams 1,265 kills or 80.5 percent of the team's kill production. They also lost 62.1 percent of their total blocks from a year ago. 
• Portland State had its second lowest kills per set mark dating back to 1986. The Vikings averaged 12.16 kills per set in 2014, lowest since 1999 (11.86). 
• The Vikings will have to replace their all-time leader in digs and two-time Big Sky Libero of the Year, Kasimira "Kasi" Clark. Clark finished her career with 1,851 career digs. 
• Portland State went 9-20 overall and 7-9 on Big Sky play in 2014, their fewest win in each under Head Coach Michael Seemann. 
• Portland State hit .163 as a team while opponents hit .202 in 2014, both worst under Seemann.