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THIS WEEK: The Vikings can take a collective deep breath this week as they open a four-match home stand, their longest of the season. Portland State welcomes Eastern Washington (Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. PT) and Idaho (Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.) to the Peter W. Stott Center to open the second half of Big Sky Conference play. 
     Portland State has played just two of eight league matches at home, which is tied for the second fewest so far this season. Weber State has also had just two home conference matches, while Sacramento State has played just once at home. 
     The Vikings have weathered the storm fairly well after picking up a pivotal road win last weekend at Southern Utah. The Vikings are 11-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Sky play. They are fifth in the Big Sky South and are holding on to the eighth Big Sky Tournament spot. The Vikings will need to take care of their home court over the final four weeks of the season if they want to improve their tournament seeding. 
     Portland State is coming off a road split last week as they fell to Northern Arizona in four sets before defeating Southern Utah in four. Senior OH Pati Anae led the Vikings with 4.62 kills per set over the two matches. She tallied 23 kills at Southern Utah for her sixth 20-kill match of the season. Junior L Tasha Bojanic surpassed the 900-career dig mark with 29 in the loss at Northern Arizona. She is now fourth in the Big Sky with 4.58 digs per set this season. 

LIVE VIDEO: A live video stream will be available for all Big Sky matches this season online at GoViks.com/Live. 

LIVE STATS: Both matches this week will feature live stats. Links can be found on the Volleyball schedule page on GoViks.com.

FOLLOW THE VIKINGS: Fans can follow the Vikings 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.
 
VIKING WOMEN'S ATHLETICS RECEPTION
Prior to Thursday's match against Eastern Washington, Portland State Athletics will host a reception for Viking Women's Athletics Alumni. All former Vikings female student-athletes are encouraged to attend to celebrate our women's programs, reconnect with old teammates, and get to know our current players. 
A light dinner will be served in Smith Memorial Student Union - Parkway North from 5-6pm. Alums are then invited to take a tour of the new weight room in the Peter W. Stott Center prior to the match at 7pm. 

PORTLAND STATE QUICK HITS
• The Vikings are 11-9 overall this season and 3-5 in Big Sky Conference play. They are 3-2 at home, 3-6 on the road, and 5-1 in neutral site matches. 
• PSU is 3-2 in three-set matches, 6-6 in four-set matches, and 2-1 in five-set matches.
• Portland State picked up its ninth win of the season in its Big Sky opener at Idaho State. The nine wins matched the Vikings' season total in each of the last two seasons. 
• Portland State started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2010 with wins over Long Beach St. (3-1) and Colorado (3-2). 
• Portland State's win over Colorado was just the third win over a Pacific-12 Conference school since the Vikings moved to the NCAA Division I level. Portland State defeated Oregon in 2005 and Utah in 2012, the Utes second year in the Pac-12. 
• Portland State came back from an 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 at Utah State (9/8) for the first time since doing it against Seattle in 2011. 
• Portland State improved to 2-0 against Pac-12 opponents with its four-set win over Arizona State at the Boise State Invitational (9/16). Portland State now has four wins over Pac-12 schools during its DI era. 

BEST IN THE SKY: Senior OH Pati Anae has solidified herself as one of the best offensive weapons in the Big Sky, and the nation, this season. She has led the team in kills and points per set in nearly every match this season, tallying six 20-kill performances along the way. She leads the conference, and is in the top 16 nationally, in six statistical categories. She has come up big for the Vikings all season long and is tied for sixth in the league with nine double-doubles. Her 4.45 kills per set mark this season is on pace to be the fifth best for the Vikings since 1982.

GOING FOR NO. 1000: Junior L Tasha Bojanic has her eyes set on career dig No. 1,000. Bojanic surpassed the 900 career dig mark with a 29-dig performance against Northern Arizona (10/13). Bojanic is currently 18th all-time at Portland State and ninth on PSU's Division I career digs list. She currently sits at 927 digs for her career. 

GOING FOR NO. 2000: Junior S Erin Clark is poised to become just the 10th Viking all-time to record 2,000 career assists this season. Clark currently has 1,822 career assists and is averaging 10.63 assists per set this season, with approximately 10 matches remaining. Clark is currently 11th on the PSU all-time career assists list and fifth during PSU's DI era. 

BIG SKY TOURNEY: The Vikings enter the second half of Big Sky play with a 3-5 record and are on pace for the eighth and final tournament spot. Since the tournament expanded to eight teams for the 2014 season, the eighth seed has entered the tournament with a 6-10 league record. 

DEFENDING HOME COURT: The Vikings will have to defend their home court if they want to make a run at the Big Sky regular season and tournament championships. The Vikings have boasted a tremendous home record over the years and are 64-14 (.821) under 10th-year Head Coach Michael Seemann. 

DEEP BENCH: The Vikings have shown tremendous depth this season, especially from their outside hitters. Portland State has had seven players, over the course of five matches, come off the bench to record double-digit kills. Freshman OH Caitlin Bettenay (13) and sophomore OH Sarah Brennan (10) each came off the bench in the Vikings' comeback win over Utah State (9/8). The Vikings were down 0-2 against the Aggies before coming back to win 3-2. 

BIG SKY OPENERS: In 21 seasons as part of the Big Sky Conference, the Vikings are 8-13 all-time in conference openers, but are 7-3 under Head Coach Michael Seemann. The Vikings lost their first nine Big Sky home openers before picking up their first in 2005. Seemann is 8-2 in his 10 league home openers. 

WIN NO. 1,100: Portland State tallied the program's 1,100th recorded win (records for the 1973 season are unavailable), dating back to the 1969 season, with its five-set comeback win over Utah State on Sept. 8. 

POTW SWEEP: Juniors Erin Clark and Tasha Bojanic swept the Big Sky Conference Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards respectively after leading the Vikings to a 3-0 weekend at the USU Invitational. Bojanic was named to the all-tournament team after leading the Vikings with 5.18 digs per set. Clark was named the Tournament MVP after posting a pair of double-doubles and a career-high 57 assists in the Vikings' come from behind win over Utah State. Clark averaged 11.45 assists and 2.27 digs per set over the three matches. She also tallied six assists and seven blocks. 

OFFENSIVE POTW: Senior OH Pati Anae earned her first Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week award after leading the Vikings to a 2-1 record over the opening week of the season. Anae hit .348 while averaging 5.00 kills per set, which was 11th in the nation. She posted 19 kills and nine digs in the opener against Long Beach State before posting a career-high 28 kills in the Vikings' win over Colorado. She added 18 digs for her first double-double of the season against the Buffaloes. 

PAC-12 HOME WIN: Portland State came back from down 2-1 in the match to defeat Colorado in five sets for its first home win over a Pac-12 opponent since defeating Oregon in 2005. The Vikings took the first set 28-26 before dropping the next two sets. Portland State took the fourth set, 25-19, to force a fifth. The fifth set stayed tight throughout before the Vikings took it, 16-14, to take the match. Portland State had four players with double-figure kills led by Pati Anae's career-high 28 kills. 

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EASTERN WASHINGTON QUICK HITS
• Eastern Washington is 10-7 overall this season and 5-3 in Big Sky Conference play. The Eagles are 2-2 at home, 3-4 on the road, and 5-1 in neutral site matches. 
• Eastern Washington is 4-5 in three-set matches, 3-2 in four sets, and 3-0 in five-setters. 
• Eastern Washington started the season 2-3 before taking three of its next four matches to improve to 5-4 entering league action. The Eagles went 2-2 to start league play before taking three of their next four matches, including a five-set win at Idaho their last time out. 
• Eastern Washington is hitting .172 (ninth in the Big Sky) and is allowing opponents to hit .154 (second in the Big Sky). The Eagles are averaging 13.16 kills, 12.37 assists, and 1.69 blocks per set this season. 
• Sophomore OH Ka'iulani Ahuna leads the team with 2.93 kills per set on the year and is second on the team with 2.77 digs per set. 
• Redshirt sophomore L Ashlee Vaoifi leads the Eagles with 4.04 digs per set, ninth in the league.

VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eagles hold a narrow 27-26 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1980 season. Eastern Washington leads the Big Sky series 24-14 and Portland State is 9-10 at home during BSC play. Portland State won 12-straight matches from 2009-2014 before dropping their last match in four sets a year ago in Cheney, Wash.
 
IDAHO QUICK HITS
• Idaho enters the week 7-13 overall and 2-6 in Big Sky Conference play. The Vandals play at Sacramento State Thursday night before coming to Portland for Saturday's match. 
• Idaho is 2-6 at home, 2-5 on the road, and 3-2 in neutral site matches. The Vandals are 0-3 in three-set matches, 5-4 in four-set matches, and 2-5 in five-setters. They have gone to five sets in three of their last four matches, going 1-2. 
• Idaho opened the season 3-0 before dropping seven of its next nine matches entering Big Sky play. The Vandals opened league action with a four-set win at Montana State before dropping their next three. They then won a five set match against Southern Utah, before dropping their next three to enter this week. 
• Idaho is hitting .197 on the season, while opponents are hitting .212. The Vandals average 12.3 kills, 11.4 assists, 14.4 digs, and 1.9 blocks per set this season. 
• Sophomore OH Sarah Sharp leads the team with 2.99 kills per set this season. She has tallied 14 double-digit kill matches with a pair of 20-kill matches, both coming in Big Sky wins. 
• Senior DS Terra Varney leads the team with 4.57 digs per set. She has tallied 16 double-digit dig performances, including posting a season-high 34 digs at Northern Arizona.  

VS. IDAHO: Portland State is 14-4 all-time against Idaho, dating back to the 1979 season. However, the teams have played only five times since Portland State moved to the NCAA Division I level for the 1996 season with Idaho holding a 4-1 advantage. The teams have split their only two meetings as part of the Big Sky Conference, both going to five sets. Idaho took the last match in five sets in Moscow, Idaho.  

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#2 | CAITLIN BETTENAY QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Caitlin Bettenay, a freshman outside hitter from Queensland, Australia.
• She is second on the team with 2.52 kills per set as a true freshman. 
• She posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career with 10 kills and a career-high 12 digs in a win at Southern Utah (10/15). 
• She posted her second double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs at Northern Arizona (10/13).
• She tallied 15 kills, eight digs, and a career-high four aces in the Vikings' win over Arizona State (9/16). 
• She added 14 kills and nine digs in the Vikings' win over Colorado (8/27).
• She came off the bench for 13 kills, hitting .407 (13-2-27), in the Vikings' comeback win over Utah State (9/8).
• She opened her Portland State career with 16 kills and 10 digs against Long Beach State (8/26) for her first double-double. 

#4 | JENNA MULLEN QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Jenna Mullen, a sophomore outside hitter from Puyallup, Wash.
• She is third on the team with 2.51 kills per set this season. 
• She recorded five double-digit kill matches this season.
• She posted 14 kills and a season-high seven digs off the bench at Weber State (9/24).
• She recorded 10 kills against Colorado (8/26) coming off the bench. 
• She recorded 15 kills in back-to-back matches against Portland (9/2) and DePaul (9/3). 
• She is the reigning Big Sky Freshman of the Year (2015). 

#9 | PATI ANAE QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Pati Anae, a senior outside hitter from Laie, Hawaii.
• She was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 29).
• She was named to the Bulldog Showdown All-Tournament Team (Sept. 3)
• She was named to the USU Invitational All-Tournament Team (9/9). 
• She was named to the Boise State Invitational All-Tournament Team (9/17).
• She leads the Big Sky, 14th in the nation, in kills per set (4.45).
• She leads the Big Sky, 16th in the nation, in points per set (5.03)
• She has recorded double-digit kills in all but one match this season. 
• She has posted 20-plus kills six times. First Viking since Jaklyn Wheeler and Megan Ellis in 2012 to have multiple 20-plus kill matches in a season. 
• She has posted 25-plus kills two times. First Viking since Whitney Phillips in 2010 to have multiple 25-kill matches in a season. 
• She has posted 20-plus kills in back-to-back matches. First Vikings since Jaklyn Wheeler in 2012 to have back-to-back 20-kill matches. 
• She posted her sixth 20-kill performance with 23 in a win at Southern Utah (10/15). 
• She posted back-to-back double-doubles at Northern Colorado (10/6) with 12 kills and 12 and at North Dakota (10/8) with 10 kills and 15 digs.
• She tallied her seventh double-double with 20 kills and 16 digs against Sac St. (10/1).
• She posted a career-high .524 (12-1-21) hitting mark in a win over Montana State (9/29).
• She posted her sixth double-double with 14 kills and 17 digs at Weber State (9/24)
• She tallied 18 kills in the Vikings' league opening win at Idaho State (9/23). 
• She posted 19 kills, nine digs, and a pair of solo blocks in the Vikings' win over ASU (9/16). 
• She tallied her fifth double-double with 14 kills and 18 digs at Boise State (9/15). 
• She posted her fourth double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs against UC Riverside (9/9).
• She posted her third double-double with 24 kills and 12 digs in the Vikings' comeback win at Utah State (9/8). 
• She posted her second double-double of the season with 24 kills and 10 digs in a win over DePaul (9/3). She hit .288 with three aces against the Blue Demons. 
• She posted her second 25 kill performance of the season with 25 kills in a win over Portland (9/3). She hit .271 with nine digs against the Pilots. 
• She posted her first double-double of the season with a career-high 28 kills and 18 digs in the Vikings' five-set win over Colorado (8/27). She hit .393 (28-6-56) against the Buffaloes.
• She became the first Viking since Jaklyn Wheeler in 2012 to post 25-plus kills in a match with her 28 against Colorado.  
• She tallied 30.5 points against the Buffaloes, the most since Whitney Phillips in 2011. 
• She opened the season with 19 kills and nine digs, while hitting .425 (19-2-40), in a win over Long Beach State (8/26). 
• Her .425 hitting percentage was the highest individual hitting percentage since Katie O'Brien hit .619 (13-0-21) at Oklahoma in 2014 as a middle blocker. 

#10 | KATY WILSON QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Katy Wilson, a sophomore middle blocker from Highlands Ranch, Colo.
• She is averaging 1.97 kills per set while hitting .317, sixth in the Big Sky.
• She matched her career high with 13 kills, while hitting .632, in a four-set win at Southern Utah (10/15). 
• She tallied a team-best 11 kills, while hitting .458, at North Dakota (10/8). 
• She tallied a season-high 12 kills, while hitting .385, at Weber State (9/24).
• She hit .692 (10-1-13) with 10 kills in the Vikings' win over Arizona State (9/16). 
• She recorded a season-high 11 kills with five blocks (0-5) at Utah State (9/8).
• She hit .333 (10-2-24) with 10 kills on a career-high 24 attacks in a win over DePaul (9/3).
• She hit .273 (10-4-22) with 10 kills in a win over Portland (9/2). 
• She opened the season with four kills and a career-high seven blocks (1-7). Her seven blocks matched the individual high for the team in 2015.

#11 | TASHA BOJANIC QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Tasha Bojanic, a junior libero from Belgrade, Serbia.
• She was named to the Bulldog Showdown All-Tournament Team (9/3).
• She was named to the USU Invitational All-Tournament Team (9/9).
• She was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week (9/12). 
• She leads the team, fourth in the Big Sky, with 4.58 digs per set this season. She has recorded double-digit digs all but two matches this season. She has eight 20-plus dig performances, including a career-high 31 digs at North Dakota (10/8). 
• She tallied 29 digs with nine assists at Northern Arizona (10/13). 
• She posted a career-high 31 digs at North Dakota (10/8).
• She posted back-to-back 20-dig matches for the first time this season, third time of her career, with 20 digs at Weber State (9/24). 
• She recorded a then-career-high 29 digs in the Vikings' win at Idaho State (9/23).
• She tallied 25 digs in the Vikings' comeback win at Utah State (9/9).
• She recorded 21 digs in a win over Portland (9/2). 
• She is tied for ninth in the Big Sky with 0.35 aces per set (nine aces over 26 sets).  

#14 | ERIN CLARK QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Erin Clark, a junior setter from Chino Hills, Calif. 
• She was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week (9/12). 
• She leads the team, third in the Big Sky, with 10.63 assists per set.
• She has posted 50-plus assists four times this season.
• She tallied her fifth 50-assist match with 54 assists, nine digs, and three kills at Southern Utah (10/15). 
• She posted her eighth double-double with 37 assists and 16 digs at Northern Arizona (10/15).
• She posted back-to-back double-doubles to open Big Sky play at Idaho State (9/23) and at Weber State (9/24). 
• She posted 51 assists and six digs in the Vikings' win over Arizona State (9/16). 
• She improved her career-high in assists with 57 assists and 11 digs in the comeback at Utah State (9/9) for her fourth double-double of the season. 
• She posted her third double-double with 35 assists and 10 digs, while posting a career-high four blocks (0-4) against Southeastern Louisiana (9/8). 
• She matched her then-career high with 50 assists along with 11 digs for her second double-double of the season in a win over DePaul (9/3). 
• She posted her first double-double of the season with a then-career-high 50 assists and 13 digs, which matched her career high, in a win over Portland (9/2). 

#17 | SARAH BRENNAN QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Sarah Brennan, a sophomore outside hitter from Kirkland, Wash. 
• She is averaging 2.28 kills per set fourth on the team.
• She posted a career-high 17 kills on 38 swings with two aces against Sac St. (10/1). 
• She has come off then bench for three double-digit kill performances this season. 
• She tallied 10 kills at Weber State (9/24). 
• She improved her career high in kills to 13 at Boise State (9/15). 
• She recorded her first career double-digit kill performances with 10 kills at Utah State (9/9). She also added a career-high seven blocks (0-7) against the Aggies. 

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SCHEDULE NOTES: Here are some quick hitters about the Vikings' 2016 schedule. 
• Portland State faced four non-conference opponents that it saw last season. The Vikings went 0-4 last season and 1-3 this season.
• Portland State will face a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Northern Arizona and Arizona State). Portland State defeated Arizona State already this season. 
• The Vikings will play 12 home matches, 11 road matches, and six matches at a neutral site.
• The 2016 Big Sky Volleyball Championship will be Nov. 14-16 and will be hosted by the Regular Season Championship.
• Portland State will play six of its first eight Big Sky Conference matches on the road.
• Portland State will close its conference season with six of its last eight matches at home.

PRESEASON QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about the 2016 Portland State volleyball team entering the season. 
• Portland State returns 10 letterwinners, the most since 2013 when the Vikings went 21-11 overall and 17-3 in Big Sky Conference play to earn a share of the regular season championship.
• Portland State returns all four of their outside hitters from a year ago, one year after returning nobody at the position. 
• Portland State went 9-19 overall and 7-11 in Big Sky Play in 2015, tied for its fewest wins under Head Coach Michael Seemann. 
• Portland State was selected to finish seventh in the Big Sky Coaches' Preseason Poll.