OGDEN, Utah — Underdogs no more.
 
After making the semifinals while playing as a seventh seed and sixth seed at the Big Sky tournament the past two seasons, the Portland State women's basketball team won't surprise anyone this season as the Vikings were picked to finish second in the Big Sky Coaches and Media Polls Thursday.
 
It's a far cry from where the Vikings have been picked in the past few seasons under head coach Lynn Kennedy. The Vikings were selected to finish 12th in both polls before Kennedy's first season as head coach in 2015-16, and then only moved up two spots to 10th in Kennedy's second season in 2016-17. The Vikings moved up a bit more last season, but were still only picked for sixth and eighth in the Big Sky Coaches and Media Polls, respectively.
 
The Vikings haven't been picked this high in the Big Sky preseason polls since they were picked to win the conference in both polls ahead of the 2011-12 season.
 
"It has been a fast three years, but the hard work by our staff and players is paying off," Kennedy said of his program's progress within the Big Sky. "It's rewarding to be recognized, but it does not win us any games. Everyone enters the season 0-0 and they all have goals. This year is no different than the last three years. We want to be playing our best basketball in Boise [site of this year's Big Sky tournament]."
 
The Vikings have played their best basketball at the tournament the past two seasons while making the semifinals each year. The Vikings played one of the best games of the tournament in the semifinals against Idaho last season, but lost 102-99 to the Vandals.
 
Idaho, which returns preseason MVP Mikayla Ferenz and preseason all-conference selection Taylor Pierce from that game, topped both the Big Sky Coaches and Media Polls Thursday, earning nine of 11 first-place votes in the coaches poll, and 13 of 19 first-place votes in the media poll. The Vikings earned two first-place votes in each poll while finishing second, while Northern Colorado picked up the remaining four first-place votes in the media poll while finishing third. Idaho State beat out Northern Colorado for third in the coaches poll, but finished fourth to the Bears in the media poll.
 
The Vikings placed second in both polls in large part because they return all but one letterwinner from last season. Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly headline the Vikings' returners after both players earned Preseason All-Big Sky honors Wednesday. Bolston, a two-time All-Big Sky second-team selection, returns after leading the Vikings with 16.6 points per game last season, while Rielly, who made the All-Big Sky third team for the second straight season in 2017-18, ranked second to Bolston with 16.2 points per game.
 
Kylie Jimenez returns at point guard for the Vikings after being named the 2017-18 Big Sky Freshman of the Year last season. Jimenez earned the honor after leading the Big Sky and ranking 18th in the nation with a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jimenez also ranked fourth in the Big Sky with 4.5 assists per game and ranked seventh in the conference with 1.8 steals per game.
 
Courtney West also enters her senior season in 2018-19, and promises to be a presence for the Vikings in the paint. West broke the career record for blocked shots last season, giving her a sweep of the Portland Stage game, season and career records in blocks. West, who's led the Big Sky in blocked shots each of the past two seasons, heads into her senior year with 175 career blocks – 57 more than any other player in program history.
 
However, despite their new position within the conference, Kennedy stressed that the Vikings will not prepare for the season any differently.
 
"It is the same mindset as before," Kennedy said of dealing with being a preseason favorite within the Big Sky. "Preseason awards are just that, preseason. What matters to us is the way the team finishes at the end of the year. We have to worry about our game, continue to compete and make each other better and prepare for a tough Big Sky Conference season."
 
The Vikings host the first of two exhibitions next Friday, Oct. 26, when they play Simpson University at the Viking Pavilion at 7 p.m. The Vikings officially open their season on Nov. 9, when they host Warner Pacific at 7 p.m. 
 

2018-19 Big Sky Preseason Coaches Poll
Rk	Team	Points
1.	Idaho	99 (9)
2.	Portland State	87 (2)
3.	Idaho State	74
4.	Northern Colorado	70
5.	Montana	62
	Montana State	62
7.	Eastern Washington	52
8.	Weber State	38
9.	Sacramento State	28
10.	Northern Arizona	21
11.	Southern Utah	12

 

2018-19 Big Sky Preseason Media Poll
Rk	Team	Points
1.	Idaho	202 (13)
2.	Portland State	169 (2)
3.	Northern Colorado	166 (4)
4.	Idaho State	144
5.	Eastern Washington	131
6.	Montana State	116
7.	Montana	107
8.	Weber State	100
9.	Sacramento State	57
10.	Northern Arizona	40
11.	Southern Utah	22

First-place votes in both polls are in parentheses