Vikings Take 7-2 Record on the Road to Boise State Classic

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THIS WEEK: Portland State will hit the road again this week for three matches at the Boise State Classic in Boise, Idaho. The Vikings are off to their best start since 2008 with a 7-2 record to start the season. That good start to the season will be tested again this week against three quality opponents.
The Vikings (7-2 overall) open the week against host Boise State (5-4) on Thursday Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. PT. Portland State and Boise State have been familiar foes of late, having faced each other in each of the last eight seasons as part of the Northwest Challenge with each team going 4-4.
Portland State will then go for its second Pacific-12 Conference win of the season against the Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3) on Friday, Sept. 16 at 5:00 p.m. The Vikings close out the weekend with a Saturday, Sept. 17 match against UC Davis (4-5) at 8:30 a.m.

LIVE VIDEO: A live video feed will be available free of charge for all three of the Vikings' matches this week. Links can be found on the Volleyball schedule page on GoViks.com.

LIVE STATS: Every match 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.

QUICK HITS: Here are some quick hitters about the 2016 PSU volleyball team:
• The Vikings are 7-2 overall this season. They are 2-1 at home, 1-1 on the road, and 4-0 in neutral site matches.
• PSU is 2-0 in three-set matches, 3-1 in four-set matches, and 2-1 in five-set matches.
• Portland State is 7-2 to start the season for the first time since the 2008 season.
• Portland State started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2010 with quality wins over Long Beach State and Colorado.
• Portland State is currently on a five-match winning streak, its longest since winning 10 straight in Big Sky play in 2013.
• Portland State defeated a Pacific-12 Conference opponent for the first time since defeating Oregon in 2015 with its five-set win over Colorado (8/27).
• Portland State's win over the Buffaloes was the first over a Pac-12 opponent for 10th-year Head Coach Michael Seemann.
• 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.

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 WIN: Portland State came back from down 2-1 in the match to defeat Colorado in five sets for its first 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. The win was the first over a Pac-12 opponent for 10th-year Head Coach Michael Seemann.

BOISE STATE QUICK HITS
• Boise State comes into the week 5-4 on the season. The Broncos are 3-2 in three-set matches and 2-2 in four-set matches. They have yet to play at home this season.
• Boise State opened the season 1-2 before winning four straight, which included a 3-1 win at Idaho State. The Broncos have lost their last two matches.
• Boise State is hitting .232 as a team with 14.1 kills per set this season. The Broncos are averaging 13.06 assists, 16.16 digs, and 2.06 blocks on the year.
• Sierra Nobley leads the team with 4.65 kills per set and a .231 hitting mark. Nobley was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American last season as well as an AVCA All-Region and All-Mountain West selection.

VS. BOISE STATE: Portland State leads the all-time series 16-6, dating back to 1982. The teams have met in each of the last eight seasons as part of the Northwest Challenge. Each team has gone 4-4 in those meetings. BSU has won the last two meetings with PSU's last win coming in three sets at home in 2013. The last PSU win in Boise was a 2-1 victory in 1987.

ARIZONA STATE QUICK HITS
• Arizona State is 6-3 overall this season, 1-2 on the road and 5-1 at a neutral site. The Sun Devils are 3-2 in three-set matches, 0-1 in four-set matches, and 3-0 in five-setters.
• Arizona State has gone 2-1 at all three weekend tournaments so far this season. The Sun Devils have won their last two matches against Harvard (3-0) and Long Beach State (3-2).
• Arizona State is averaging 13.4 kills per set and is hitting .215 this season. The Sun Devils are averaging 12.76 assists, 1.12 aces, 13.26 digs, and 2.21 blocks per set this year.
• Oluoma Okaro leads the team with .2.97 kills per set. She is hitting .321 for the year and also leads the team with 1.09 blocks per set.

VS. ARIZONA STATE: Portland State is 1-3 all-time against Arizona State with its lone win coming at a neutral site in 1981. The Vikings and Sun Devils have met just twice during PSU's Division I era (1996-present) with ASU taking a pair of matches in 1997.

UC DAVIS QUICK HITS
• UC Davis comes into the Boise State Classic with a 4-5 record on the season. The Aggies are 1-2 on the road and 3-3 at a neutral site. They are 2-3 in three-set matches and 1-1 in both four and five-setters.
• UC Davis went 2-1, including a 3-0 win at North Dakota, to open the season. The Aggies are 2-4 since with wins over Murray State and Southern Utah.
• UC Davis is hitting just .173 as a team this season with 12.6 kills per set. UCD is averaging 12.0 assists, 15.9 digs, and 2.1 blocks per set.
• Emily Allen leads the team with 3.97 kills per set this year. She is hitting .161 on the season with six aces. She is also averaging 2.61 digs per set, third on the team.

VS. UC DAVIS: Portland State is a perfect 12-0 all-time against UC Davis, dating back to the 1983 season. The teams have met just three time since Portland State moved to the NCAA Division I level for the 1996 season. The last meeting came in 2009 with the Vikings winning in four sets.

#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 2.86 kills per set as a true freshman.
• She opened her Portland State career with 16 kills and 10 digs against Long Beach State (8/26) for her first double-double.
• 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).

#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 2.91 kills per set this season.
• She recorded four double-digit kill matches this season.
• 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 leads the Big Sky, sixth in the nation, in kills per set (4.97).
• She leads the Big Sky, fifth in the nation, in points per set (5.58)
• She has recorded double-digit kills in every match this season.
• She has posted 20-plus kills fourt 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 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 1.81 kills per set while hitting .281.
• She has posted double-digit kills in three of her last five matches.
• 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, eighth in the Big Sky, with 4.03 digs per set this season. She has recorded double-digit digs in every match.
• She improved her season high in digs with 25 in the comeback win at Utah State (9/9).
• She recorded a then-season-high 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 10.75 assists per set.
• She has posted 50-plus assists in three of her last five matches.
• 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 2.00 kills per set in 25 sets this season with one start.
• 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 will face four non-conference opponents that it saw last season. The Vikings went 0-4 in those matches.
• Portland State will face a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Northern Arizona and Arizona State).
• Portland State 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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