Volleyball Hits the Road For Key Interdivisional Matches

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THIS WEEK: The Vikings hit the road once again this week for a pair of tough contests against the top two teams in the Big Sky North Division. They will take on the Northern Colorado Bears on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. PT followed by the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. PT.
This week begins another four-match road trip for the Vikings. They played 11 consecutive matches on the road before opening their Big Sky home slate last weekend. The Vikings will be on the road again next weekend before playing six out of their final eight league matches at home.
Portland State split a pair of league matches at home last weekend. The Vikings took the first match of the week in straight sets over the Montana State Bobcats. PSU had one of its best all-around performances of the season against MSU. The Vikings hit a team season-high .432 in the match with nine service aces and 10.0 total blocks. Senior OH Pati Anae led the Vikings with 12 kills and a career-high .524 hitting mark. Sophomore OH Sarah Brennan added nine kills off the bench along with three digs and a team-high three service aces.
The Vikings took the first set against Sacramento State but dropped the next three to fall in four sets in their next match. Anae posted her fifth 20-kill match, and seventh double-double, of the season with a match-high 20 kills along with 16 digs. Brennan added a career-high 17 kills, while adding a pair of blocks and two more service aces.

LIVE VIDEO: A live video feel 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.

PORTLAND STATE QUICK HITS
• The Vikings are 10-6 overall this season and 2-2 in Big Sky Conference play. They are 3-2 at home, 2-3 on the road, and 5-1 in neutral site matches.
• PSU is 3-1 in three-set matches, 5-4 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 match 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 all 16 matches this season, tallying five 20-kill performances along the way. She leads the conference, and is in the top 20 nationally, is five statistical categories. She has come up big for the Vikings all season long and is tied for fifth in the league with six double-doubles. Her 4.57 kills per set mark this season is on pace to be the fourth best for the Vikings since 1982.

GOING TO THE 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.

NORTHERN COLORADO QUICK HITS
• Northern Colorado comes into play this week tied atop the Big Sky North with a 3-1 conference record. The Bears are 9-7 overall and 3-3 at home on the year.
• Northern Colorado started the season 1-3 before winning three straight to improve to 4-3. After dropping three-straight The Bears won their last two matches prior to opening league play. Northern Colorado dropped its Big Sky opener to Northern Arizona before winning the next three.
• The Bears are hitting .206 as a team this season, while opponents are hitting .205. They are fourth in the Big Sky with 12.96 kills per set this season but 10th with 1.68 blocks per set. They lead the league with 16.45 digs per set on the year.
• During league play the Bears have improved their hitting percentage to .248, while lowering opponents hitting mark to .170.
• Kortney Lockey leads the team with 3.27 kills per set on the year. Ashley Guthrie is sixth in the Big Sky with 10.12 assists per set, while Makenna Meier is fifth with 4.50 digs per set.

VS. NORTHERN COLORADO: Portland State leads the all-time series 20-12, dating back to 1983. Portland State leads the Big Sky series 12-6 and is 5-4 on the road in league play. The Bears have had the Vikings' number of late, taking each of the last three and seven of the last 11. The Last road win for the Vikings came in a four-set win in 2013.

NORTH DAKOTA QUICK HITS
• North Dakota is tied with Northern Colorado atop the Big Sky North division with a 3-1 lead mark. The Fighting Hawks are 11-8 overall this season and 3-3 at home.
• North Dakota opened the season 2-4 before winning five of six to improve to 7-5. The Fighting Hawks dropped two-of-three before opening league play with a win over Southern Utah. After a three-set loss at Northern Colorado, UND has won two straight against Idaho and Eastern Washington, both in four sets.
• North Dakota is hitting .217 this season, while holding opponents to a .190 hitting mark. UND is second in the league in blocking with 2.42 blocks per set.
• Chelsea Moser leads the team with 2.65 kills per set and is third in the league with a .351 hitting mark. Tamara Merseli is second on the team with 2.51 kills per set.

VS. NORTH DAKOTA: Portland State is 5-3 all-time against North Dakota, dating back to the 1991 season. The teams split the season series in both 2012 and 2013. UND took the only match in 2014 with PSU winning at home in 2015. The Vikings are 0-3 all-time on the road in the series.

#2 | CAITLIN BETTENAY QUICK HITTERS: Here are some quick hitters about Caitlin Bettenay, a freshman outside hitter from Quessnland, Australia.
• She is third on the team with 2.56 kills per set as a true freshman.
• 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 second on the team with 2.76 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, 12th in the nation, in kills per set (4.57).
• She leads the Big Sky, 12th in the nation, in points per set (5.20)
• She has recorded double-digit kills in all but one match this season.
• She has posted 20-plus kills five 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 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 1.87 kills per set while hitting .316, eighth in the Big Sky.
• 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, sixth in the Big Sky, with 4.41 digs per set this season. She has recorded double-digit digs in all but two matches. She has six 20-dig performances.
• 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 career-high 29 digs in the Vikings' league opening 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, second in the Big Sky, with 10.81 assists per set.
• She has posted 50-plus assists four times this season.
• 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 2.42 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.

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.

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