Vikings Open Big Sky Second Half on the Road

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After playing the seven of its first eight league matches at home, the Portland State volleyball team hits the road this week for a pair of league matches at Eastern Washington and at Idaho.
The Vikings and Eagles face off on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at Reese Court in Cheney Wash. Portland State then heads to Moscow, Idaho to take on Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. The Vandals are first place in the Big Sky Conference's North Division with a 7-1 conference record.

LIVE VIDEO: Both matches can be found live online on Pluto.tv. Thursday's match can be found on Pluto Channel 234 with Saturday's airing on Channel 242. For international fans, tune in at WatchBigSky.com.

LIVE STATS: Both matches will feature live stats via StatBroadcast.com. Links can be found on the Volleyball schedule page on GoViks.com or at ViksLive.com.

FOLLOW THE VIKINGS: Fans can follow the Vikings on Twitter and Instagram. 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 WEEK: Portland State split a pair of league matches to close out its five-match home stand last week. The Vikings fell in four sets to Northern Arizona before sweeping the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. The Vikings closed out the first half of league play with a 6-2 conference mark, which is good for third place in the league standings.
Portland State's win drought against Northern Arizona continued last week as the Vikings fell to the Lumberjacks in four sets. NAU took the first set 25-23 before PSU evened the match with a 25-20 win in the second. The 'Jacks then took a hotly contested third set, 28-26, before taking the fourth, 25-19.
The Vikings had four players with double-digit kills, led by SO OH Caitlin Bettenay's 15. She added nine digs and a trio of blocks in the match. SR S Erin Clark posted her team-best ninth double-double with 44 assists and 11 digs, while SR L Tasha Bojanic added a match-high 25 digs in the loss.
The difference in the match was at the service line. The Lumberjacks came into the match leading the Big Sky Conference in service aces per set and they improved their mark with 12 aces against the Vikings.
Portland State bounced back with a three-set win over Southern Utah to round out the weekend. The Vikings rolled to a 25-16 win in the first set before taking a close second set, 26-24. They closed out the sweep with a 25-23 win in the third.
Portland State hit .351 as a team, its second-best hitting mark of the year. They hit over. 333 or better in all three sets against Southern Utah. The Vikings had four players with double-digit kills again against the Thunderbirds led by Bettenay's 15. JR MB Katy Wilson matched her career-high with 13 kills, while hitting .526 (13-3-19) for the match. Clark improved her Big Sky leading assists per set mark to 11.18 aps after tallying 51 assists over the three set match, three shy of the Portland State record for a three-set match.

STORY LINES

Portland State is 15-5 overall, which matches its best record through 20 matches since moving to the NCAA Division I level prior to the 1996 season. The Vikings also went 15-5 in 2007.
Portland State's 9-3 non-conference record is the best under 11th-year Head Coach Michael Seemann and the team's third best over the last 15 years.
Portland State's win over Southern Utah on Oct. 14 guaranteed the Vikings a winning season for the 11th time in 22 seasons since becoming a member of the Big Sky Conference in 1996.
Portland State concludes the regular season with seven of its final eight league matches on the road.
Portland State and Eastern Washington are tied 27-27 all time but the Eagles are 24-15 during Big Sky play. Portland State took the last meeting and has won nine of the last 10.
Portland State is 14-4 all-time against Idaho and 2-1 in Big Sky Conference action. Portland State took only meeting a year ago in four sets. The Vikings are 6-4 against the Vandals in the last 10.

SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON

Eastern Washington comes into play 6-11 overall and 3-5 in Big Sky Conference play. The Eagles are 2-2 at home on the year.
Eastern Washington opened the season 1-5 on the year before winning two of its final three matches heading into league play. The Eagles opened conference with back-to-back wins over Montana and Montana State before falling to Northern Colorado and North Dakota. After sweeping NAU on the road, they have dropped their last three matches.
Eastern Washington is 11th in the Big Sky with a .147 hitting mark and is allowing opponents to hit .216, seventh in the Big Sky. The Eagles are sixth in both kills and assists per set and last in conference with 1.46 blocks per set.
SR OH Ashley Seiler is second in the Big Sky with 4.08 kills per set on the year. She has 756 total attacks, 442 more than the next most on the team. Seiler has tallied double-digit kills in all but two matches played this year, including four 20-kill matches, all during non-conference play.
SR L Megan LaFond is the only other Eagle in the Big Sky rankings. She is fourth in the conference with 4.44 digs per set on the year. She has tallied double-digit digs in every match with four 20-dig matches. She recorded a season-high 26 digs in a four-set loss to Northern Colorado.

SCOUTING IDAHO

Idaho is 12-7 overall this season and leads the Big Sky North Division with a 7-1 conference record through the first half of league play. The Vandals are 4-0 at home on the year and host Big Sky undefeated Sacramento State Thursday, Oct. 19 in a battle of division leaders.
Idaho opened the season with four-straight losses before winning four straight to even its record. The Vandals went 1-2 over its last three non-conference matches, including a four-set loss to No. 9 Kansas, before opening league action.
Idaho swept Montana State and Montana to open league play before losing at North Dakota. The Vandals have won five straight heading into play this week.
Idaho leads the Big Sky with a .255 hitting mark, .006 ahead of Portland State. The Vandals are holding opponents to a .198 hitting percentage, third in the league. They are fifth in both kills and assists per set and lead the league with 2.70 blocks per set.
JR OH Kaela Straw leads the team with 3.61 kills per set on the year. She has 11 double-digit kill matches, including three 20-kill matches, two in conference play.

QUICK HITS

WINS, LOSSES, AND THE BIG SKY

Portland State is 15-5 this season, 5-2 at home, 4-1 on the road, and 6-2 at a neutral site.
Portland State will play all of its home games this season at Concordia University.
Portland State is in its 22nd season playing at the NCAA Division I level (1996-2017).
Portland State is 1126-517-5 all-time and 311-309 during DI play.
As a member of the Big Sky Conference (1996-2017), PSU is 174-168 (.509) all-time in league matches, 108-66 (.621) at home, and 66-102 (.393) in road matches.
Portland State has secured its 11th winning season in 22 years as a member of the Big Sky.
Michael Seemann (193-125 overall, 125-51 Big Sky) is the Vikings' third head coach in the Big Sky Conference era.
The Vikings have won five Big Sky regular season championships (2007, 09, 10, 12, & 13) along with a pair of Big Sky tournament championships (2008 & 2010) earning them their first two NCAA Division I tournament berths.

AROUND THE BIG SKY: Six teams sit at-or-above .500 in league play as the Big Sky Conference season moves into its second half. Sacramento State sits atop the conference standings with a perfect 8-0 league mark, while Idaho is one back at 7-1. Portland State and North Dakota are tied for third at 6-2 but the Vikings hold the tiebreaker after winning the only meeting this season. Idaho State is 5-3, while Northern Colorado sits at 4-4.

BIG SKY TOURNEY: The 2017 Big Sky Volleyball Tournament will be held Nov. 16-18 and will be hosted by the conference's regular season champion. The Big Sky North and South Division Champions will claim the top two seeds in the tournament with seeds 3-8 going to the next best teams regardless of division. Portland State is looking for its 15th bid in 22 years since joining the conference for the 1996 season.

TOP OF THE SKY: Portland State leads the league with 14.06 kills and 13.40 assists per set. The Vikings are second in hitting percentage (.249) and third in service aces per set (1.40) and opponent hitting percentage (.196). Individually, four Vikings lead the Vikings in four different statistical categories:

JR MB Katy Wilson leads the league with a .394 hitting mark.
SO OH Caitlin Bettenay leads the league with 4.12 kills per set.
SR S Erin Clark leads the league with 11.18 assists per set.
SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic leads the league with 4.67 digs per set.
JR MB Mikaelyn Sych is second in the league with 1.42 blocks per set.

NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP: SO OH Caitlin Bettenay has led or been at the top of the Big Sky Conference rankings throughout her sophomore campaign. She leads Portland State, and the Big Sky Conference, with 4.12 kills per set on the year. That is 1.57 kills per set above her average from a year ago. As a freshman in 2016, Bettenay tallied 196 kills through 77 sets. This season, she leads the team with 268 kills through 65 sets. Bettenay posted back-to-back 20-kill matches for the first time in her career earlier this season with 20 against Northern Colorado (10/5) and 21 against North Dakota (10/7). She is looking to become the second consecutive Viking to lead the league in kills per set after Pati Anae did it a year ago.

SPREADING IT AROUND: SR S Erin Clark is having an outstanding senior season leading the Vikings' offense. She leads the Big Sky Conference with 11.18 assists per set overall this season, 24th in the nation, and with 12.67 assists per set during league play. She is averaging 2.81 digs per set on the year and is second on the team with 188 total digs. Her nine double-doubles is also tops on the team. She is currently seventh in all-time at PSU with 2,892 career assists. She is 162 assists away from tying Toni Gomez (1995-98) for fifth all-time (3,144).

ANCHORING THE DEFENSE: SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic had a slow start to the season but has come on strong over. Over her last 10 matches, Bojanic has tallied at least 15 digs (5.00 digs per set) nine times. She tallied four-straight 20-dig matches, including a season-high 32 digs against North Dakota (10/7). She recorded 12 digs in the fourth set alone against the Fighting Hawks. She leads the Big Sky Conference this season with 4.67 digs per set overall and 6.07 digs per set during league action.

NET DEFENDER: JR MB Mikaelyn Sych is having a career year for the Vikings at the net. She is second in the Big Sky Conference, and is 23rd in the nation, with 1.42 blocks per set on the year. Her 95.0 blocks are 34th overall in the country. Sych has tallied three double-digit block performances this season. She became the first Vikings with double-digit blocks since Katie O'Brien in 2014 and the first with multiple double-digit block matches in a season since O'Brien had three such performances in 2011. The last Viking with four double-digit block matches in a season was Michelle Segun (Robertson) in 2007.

BLOCK PARTY: Portland State has established itself as one of the top blocking teams in the Big Sky, and the nation. The Vikings have tallied double-digit blocks seven times this season, including four times during a three-set match. They opened the year with 14.0 blocks against the CSUN Matadors. PSU tallied 15.0 blocks in a four-set win over Nevada (9/1), its most blocks since tallying 16.0 in 2014.

HIGH HITTING: Portland State has been at the top of the Big Sky Conference in hitting percentage the entire 2017 season. The Vikings are currently hitting .249 on the year, second-best in the conference. It is the best hitting mark under 11th-year Head Coach Michael Seemann and is on pace to set the Portland State Division I (1996-2017) hitting mark. The Vikings hit .237 in both 2009 and 2005.

BRING OUT THE BROOMS: Portland State won six consecutive matches all via three-set sweeps from Sept. 13 (Portland) to Sept. 28 (Montana State). It was the Vikings' longest stretch of sweep wins since they won eight straight in 2009.

ROLLING TO VICTORY: Portland State has closed out a pair of sweeps this season by holding its opponent to less than 10 points in the final frame. The Vikings swept Eastern Kentucky by taking the third set 25-7 on Aug. 26 before sweeping Weber State with a 25-6 win in the third on Sept. 23. The seven points allowed against EKU was the first time since 2014 that PSU held an opponent to single-digit points in a set. The six points allowed against WSU are the fewest allowed in a set since scoring moved to 25 points for the 2008 season.

BIG SKY PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Portland State has had three players earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors.

SO OH Caitlin Bettenay - Offensive POTW (Sept. 4) - Led the Vikings to a perfect 3-0 record at the Gonzaga Invitational. Averaged 4.55 kills and 2.73 digs per set over the three matches.
JR MB Mikaelyn Sych - Defensive POTW (Sept. 4) - Led the Vikings to a perfect 3-0 record at the Gonzaga Invitational. Averaged 2.36 kills and 2.45 blocks per set, while hitting .429 for the weekend.
SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic - Defensive POTW (Sept. 18) - Led the Vikings to their second perfect 3-0 weekend with three straight sweeps. Averaged 6.11 digs per set over the three matches.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Aug. 25 - Portland State picked up its first win of the season, a four-set win over CSUN. It was the second-straight year won their opener. Junior MB Mikaelyn Sych tallied a career-high 12 blocks becoming the first Viking since Katie O'Brien to record double-digit blocks.
Aug. 26 - SO OH Caitlin Bettenay and SR S Erin Clark were named to the All-Aztec Invitational team after PSU went 2-1 with wins over CSUN and Eastern Kentucky.
Sept. 2 - Portland State defeated Arizona State for the second straight season. It was Portland State's third consecutive win over a Pac-12 Conference opponent.
Sept. 2 - Portland State defeated Gonzaga to improve to 5-1, its best start since 2003.
Sept. 2 - SO OH Caitlin Bettenay and SR MB Katy Wilson were named to the Gonzaga Invitational All-Tournament Team. Bettenay was also named the Tournament MVP.
Sept. 4 - SO OH Caitlin Bettenay and JR MB Mikaelyn Sych were named Big Sky Offensive and Co-Defensive Player of the Week respectively.
Sept. 9 - SO OH Caitlin Bettenay was named to the UC Davis All-Tournament Team.
Sept. 16 - Swept the Nike Invitational with three-consecutive sweeps of Portland, CSUN, and UTEP.
Sept. 16 - Erin Clark was named the All-Nike Invitational MVP while Katy Wilson and Tasha Bojanic were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Sept. 23 - Portland State defeated Weber State in straight sets for its fifth-consecutive sweep. The Vikings defeated the Wildcats 25-6 in the third set, the fewest points allowed by PSU since scoring went to 25 points in 2008.
Sept. 23 - Portland State improved to 11-3 for the second time in its Division I history (2008).
Sept. 28 - Portland State improved swept Montana State for its sixth-consecutive sweep and improved to 12-3 for the second time in Division I history (2008).
Sept. 30 - SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic recorded a then-season-high 23 digs (7.67 digs per set) in a three-set loss to Sacramento State.
Oct. 5 - Portland State snapped a four-match losing streak to Northern Colorado with a four-set home win.
Oct. 7 - Portland State moved to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in league play with a four set win over North Dakota. It was the final regular season Big Sky match between the two teams.
Oct. 7 - SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic posted her third 30-dig match with 32 digs against UND.
Oct. 14 - Portland State secured its 11th winning season in 22 Big Sky Conference campaigns with a three-set win over Southern Utah. Head Coach Michael Seemann has been a pair of all 11.