Complete Match Notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
Nobody takes care of you better when you're sick than a parent or guardian, and for an injury-depleted Portland State volleyball team, the new Viking Pavilion is that parent or guardian. We doubt an arena can cook up a good tomato soup, but the Vikings could use the figurative home cooking if not literal as they host Northern Arizona Thursday, presented by OnPoint Community Credit Union, and Southern Utah Saturday.
 
Injuries hurt the Vikings in their opening weekend of Big Sky play on the road against Montana State and Montana. The Montana road trip had typically been friendly to the Vikings, but the Vikings were down to just 10 players against Montana State on Thursday, and then just nine for their match against Montana on Saturday.
 
Regular starters Peyton McBride and Parker Webb were out for both matches last weekend, as well as senior Sarah Brennan. Senior Jenna Mullen stepped up in their absence on Thursday with a career-high 21 kills against the Bobcats, but suffered a concussion during the match and was unavailable to the Vikings on Saturday.
 
Despite all the injuries, the Vikings showed a scrappy spirit in face of the adversity with a number of players stepping up to fill holes in the Vikings' lineup. Senior Katy Wilson moved from her regular middle blocker position to the outside for both matches last weekend, and led the Vikings with eight kills against Montana. Sophomore setter Maddy Reeb also split time at setter and outside hitter against the Bobcats on Thursday, before moving fully to the outside for the Vikings' match against the Grizzlies on Saturday. Reeb had a strong all-around match against the Bobcats, as she posted her first-career double-double while finishing with five kills, 20 assists, 11 digs, five blocks and two service aces.
 
Senior libero Hadley Heck also had a strong match against the Bobcats Thursday, as she recorded her second straight career high while going over 20 digs for the second straight match with 23 digs against the Bobcats. Junior Toni McDougald also recorded her second straight double-double in the match against the Bobcats with 12 kills and 14 digs.
 
Redshirt junior Whitney Turner was the bright spot for the Vikings against Montana, as she hit a team-best .778 with seven kills on nine attacks and no errors.
 
Northern Arizona will test the Vikings' fighting spirit in face of the injuries, as the Lumberjacks had one of the best non-conference seasons within the Big Sky. The Lumberjacks beat then-No. 8 Florida at home on Sept. 7, the program's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since 1989, and the first by a Big Sky team since 2006.
 
Southern Utah had a more difficult non-conference schedule, as the Thunderbirds' only win of the season so far came via a 3-0 win over Jacksonville State at the GCU tournament on Sept. 1.
 
The Vikings host the Lumberjacks at 7 p.m. Thursday, and play the Thunderbirds at 1 p.m. Saturday.
 
STORYLINES
Who/What is Hot:
• The Vikings tied a season high with 20 block assists in their match against Montana State last Thursday.
• Toni McDougald and Maddy Reeb each posted double-doubles in the Vikings' match against Montana State. McDougald recorded her second straight double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Reeb recorded her first-career double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs in the match. Reeb had a good all-around match against the Bobcats while playing on the outside and at setter due to the Vikings' depleted roster. Reeb finished the match with five kills, 20 assists, 11 digs, five blocks and two service aces.
• Senior libero Hadley Heck totaled more than 20 digs for the second straight match with a career-high 23 digs against Montana State on Thursday. Heck has averaged 4.8 digs per set since taking over as the Vikings' full-time libero before the team's match against Colorado State on Sept. 15.
• Whitney Turner hit a team-best .778 with seven kills on nine attacks and no errors in the Vikings' match against Montana last Saturday.
• Junior setter Mary Jo McBride has recorded 20+ assists in three straight matches. McBride recorded 24 assists in back-to-back matches against Indiana State on Sept. 15 and Montana State last Thursday. McBride then followed it up with 21 assists in the Vikings' match against Montana last Saturday.
And Not:
• The Vikings played with only nine players in their loss to Montana on Saturday. The Vikings had five players out with injury, and only one healthy outside hitter in Toni McDougald.
• The Vikings have lost 13 matches in a row, the longest losing streak for the program since the Vikings lost 14 matches in a row in 2001.
• The Vikings went 0-2 on their Montana road trip, the first time the Vikings have gone winless in Montana since 2004. The Vikings lost 3-0 to Montana on Saturday, the first time the Vikings had been swept by the Grizzlies since they lost 3-0 in Missoula on Oct. 5, 2000.
• The Vikings have been outhit in every match since their season-opening win over Long Beach State on Aug. 24.
• The Vikings haven't held an opponent to less than .200 hitting in a match since their season-opening win over Long Beach State.
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-13, 0-2 Big Sky)
10.39 k/s | 9.67 a/s | 13.65 d/s | 1.69 b/s
Notable: The Portland State Vikings have been snake-bitten of late with a spate of injuries that cost the Vikings in their first two Big Sky matches of the season last weekend. The Vikings were down to 10 players for their match against Montana State Thursday, and then lost senior Jenna Mullen for their match against Montana on Saturday. Losing Mullen left the Vikings with only one healthy outside hitter on the team in Toni McDougald. The injuries forced senior Katy Wilson and sophomore Maddy Reeb to play on the outside, out of their regular positions of middle blocker and setter, respectively. The Vikings played admirably despite the injuries, especially against the Bobcats on Thursday. The Vikings won the second and third sets to go up 2-1 on the Bobcats before losing in five sets. Mullen set a career high while going over 20 kills for the second straight match with 21 kills against the Bobcats. Senior libero Hadley Heck also recorded over 20 digs for the second straight match with a career-high 23 digs against the Bobcats. McDougald recorded her second straight double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs, while Reeb joined McDougald with her first-career double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs. Reeb had a strong all-around match against the Bobcats while splitting time on the outside and at setter. Reeb finished with five kills, 20 assists, 11 digs, five blocks and two service aces in the match. Whitney Turner, meanwhile, had her best match of the season against the Grizzlies on Saturday, as she hit a team-best .778 with seven kills on nine attacks and no errors.
 
NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS (9-6, 1-1 Big Sky)
12.50 k/s | 11.80 a/s | 17.50 d/s | 2.30 b/s
Notable: The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks recorded the conference's best win during the non-conference schedule with a 3-2 win over then-No. 8 Florida at home on Sept. 7. The win marked the Lumberjacks' first over a nationally-ranked opponent since 1989, and the first by a Big Sky team since 2006. The Lumberjacks also shared a common opponent with the Vikings during the non-conference season in the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Lumberjacks beat the Bulldogs 3-0 on Sept. 15 at the Sparky Classic in Tempe, Ariz., a week after the Bulldogs swept the Vikings at the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge in the Viking Pavilion. The Lumberjacks split their first two Big Sky matches of the season last weekend at home, losing 3-2 to Idaho State on Thursday before beating Weber State 3-1 on Saturday. The Lumberjacks rank second in the Big Sky with a team hitting percentage of .235 in all matches this season, and have held opponents to a conference-low hitting percentage of .170. The Lumberjacks also lead the Big Sky with 17.55 digs per set as a team. Junior middle blocker Abby Akin ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in a number of categories, as she ranks fourth in hitting percentage (.341), third in service aces per set (0.38) and ninth in blocks per set (1.09). Akin also ranks third on the Lumberjacks with 2.24 kills per set, behind Kaylie Jorgenson and Heaven Harris, who ranks 1-2 on the team with 2.98 and 2.74 kills per set, respectively. Jorgenson also ranks third on the team with 3.87 digs per set, behind senior libero Jordan Anderson and fellow outside hitter Sydney Lema, who rank 1-2 with 4.40 and 3.98 digs per set, respectively. Junior Abby Stomp and freshman Aubrea Bandfield have split time at setter for the Lumberjacks and average 5.45 and 4.74 assists per set, respectively.
 
NORTHERN ARIZONA SERIES HISTORY
The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 26-20. The Vikings snapped a nine-match losing streak to the Lumberjacks in their last match, as they beat them 3-1 at the Big Sky tournament in Sacramento last season on Nov. 16. The Vikings have won the majority of their home matches against the Lumberjacks, as they lead 12-10 in matches played on their home court.
 
SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS (1-13, 0-2 Big Sky)
10.35 k/s | 9.53 a/s | 14.06 d/s | 1.75 b/s
Notable: The Southern Utah Thunderbirds had a hard-luck non-conference season like the Vikings this season, as their only win of the non-conference came via a 3-0 win over Jacksonville State at the GCU tournament on Sept. 1. The Thunderbirds share a common non-conference opponent with the Vikings in the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Thunderbirds lost 3-1 to the Bulldogs at the LBSU/UCI tournament on Sept. 14, a week after the Vikings lost 3-0 to the Bulldogs at the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge in the Viking Pavilion. The Thunderbirds lost their first two Big Sky matches at home last weekend, falling 3-1 to Weber State on Thursday and 3-0 to Idaho State on Saturday. The Thunderbirds rank last in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.152), opponent hitting percentage (.267), assists per set (9.53) and kills per set (10.35) as a result of their difficult non-conference season. The Thunderbirds were better last weekend as they opened Big Sky play, however, as they rank third in the conference with 14.00 kills per set in conference matches. Sophomore outside hitter Janet Kalaniuvalu had a strong first weekend of Big Sky play with 19 kills against Weber State on Thursday and 11 more against Idaho State on Saturday. Kalaniuvalu ranks third in the Big Sky with 4.29 kills per set in conference matches as a result, and also leads the Thunderbirds with 3.47 kills per set across all matches. Junior setter Alexis Averett also had a strong opening weekend of Big Sky play with 51 assists against Weber State and 30 against Idaho State. Averett ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 11.57 assists per set in conference matches as a result, much better than her overall average of 8.20 assists per set. Freshman libero Miahna Waters has been a strong presence for the Thunderbirds throughout the season. Waters averaged 5.71 digs per set over the opening weekend of Big Sky play, but also ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 4.51 digs per set across all matches this season.
 
SOUTHERN UTAH SERIES HISTORY
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Thunderbirds, 10-2. The Vikings have won five matches in a row against the Thunderbirds, and all five of those matches were decided in four sets or less. The Thunderbirds last beat the Vikings, 3-0, in Portland on Sept. 26, 2015.
 
LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available from both matches this weekend. Fans can find the links to live stats at ViksLive.com, or on the volleyball schedule page at GoViks.com.
 
LIVE VIDEO
A live video stream will be available from both matches this weekend on Pluto TV. Fans can download the free Pluto TV app at Pluto.TV. Both matches will be aired on channel 232 in the app, with Teri Mariani providing play-by-play.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings battled the injury bug while going 0-2 on their Montana road trip last weekend. The Vikings played with 10 players against the Bobcats on Thursday, and then were forced to play with nine players against the Grizzlies on Saturday. The Vikings were without regular starters Peyton McBride and Parker Webb for both matches, as well as senior Sarah Brennan. The Vikings then lost senior Jenna Mullen for Saturday's match against the Grizzlies, leaving the Vikings without their top offensive player and down to only one healthy regular outside hitter in Toni McDougald. Mullen was a huge part of the Vikings' 3-2 loss to the Bobcats Thursday, as she went over 20 kills for the second straight match while setting a second straight career high with 21 kills in the match. McDougald recorded her second straight double-double in the match with 12 kills and 14 digs, while sophomore setter Maddy Reeb had her first-career double-double with 20 assists and 11 digs. Reeb, who also played outside for the Vikings during the match, had a strong all-around match against the Bobcats, recording five kills, 20 assists, 11 digs, five blocks and two service aces. Additionally, senior Hadley Heck recorded her second straight 20+ digs performance with a career-high 23 digs against the Bobcats. The Vikings missed Mullen on Saturday, however, as the Grizzlies swept the Vikings, 3-0, for the first time since Oct. 5, 2000. Senior Katy Wilson led the Vikings with eight kills against the Grizzlies, while Whitney Turner hit .778 in the match with seven kills on nine attacks and no errors.
 
UPCOMING
The Vikings head back out on the road for matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho next weekend. The Vikings open the weekend against the Eagles at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in Cheney, Wash. The team will then play Idaho at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, in Moscow, Idaho.
 
INJURY BUG
The Vikings had only nine players dressed for Saturday's match against Montana, as the injury bug has hit the Vikings hard over their last couple of matches. The Vikings were without regular starters Peyton McBride and Parker Webb for both matches last weekend, and then lost senior Jenna Mullen for Saturday's match. Those injuries, coupled with the season-ending injuries to Brooke Imirie and Sarah Brennan, left the Vikings with only one of their regular outside hitters healthy for Saturday's match against the Grizzlies. Toni McDougald was the last regular outside hitter healthy for the Vikings last weekend. Senior Katy Wilson moved to the outside for the Vikings' two matches in Montana last weekend. Sophomore Maddy Reeb played a dual role Thursday between outside hitter and setter before shifting fully to the outside on Saturday.
 
BIG SKY LEADERS
• Senior outside hitter Jenna Mullen ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 3.18 kills per set in all matches this season, and ranks fourth in the conference with 4.20 kills per set in Big Sky matches.
• Redshirt junior middle blocker Whitney Turner ranks second in the Big Sky with a .444 hitting percentage in conference matches.
• Junior setter Mary Jo McBride ranks tied for second in the Big Sky with 0.50 service aces per set in conference matches.
• Junior middle blocker Timi Severson ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 1.25 blocks per set in conference matches.
• Senior libero Hadley Heck ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 5.12 digs per set in conference matches.
 
MICHAEL SEEMANN JOINS 200-WIN CLUB
Portland State head coach Michael Seemann earned his 200th career win at Portland State with the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of Long Beach State on Aug. 24. Seemann became the third coach in the history of the Viking volleyball program to reach 200 wins, joining Marlene Piper (445 wins; 1969-72 & 1974-83) and Jeff Mozzochi (371 wins; 1984-92 & 2001-06). Teri Mariani, who coached the Viking softball team from 1977-2005, owns the most wins of any Viking head coach with 663 wins in her tenure. Two baseball coaches – Jack Dunn (1975-94) and Roy Love (1962-74) – also reached the 200-win plateau with 630 and 257 wins, respectively. Seemann also became the 11th coach in Big Sky history to reach 200 wins, as well as the second active coach, joining Northern Colorado's Lyndsey Oates, who has 232 wins in 13 years with the Bears.
 
Most Coaching Wins at Portland State
Coach                          Wins          Team                           Years
Teri Mariani                663            Softball                       1977-2005
Jack Dunn                    630            Baseball                      1975-94
Marlene Piper             445            Volleyball                    1969-72, 1974-83
Jeff Mozzochi              371            Volleyball                    1984-92, 2001-06
Roy Love                      257            Baseball                      1962-74
Michael Seemann       200            Volleyball                    2007-Present
 
KATY WILSON CAREER RECORD WATCH
Senior middle blocker Katy Wilson ranks right off the Division I career record for hitting percentage with a .300 career mark. Lana Zielke set the Division I career record at .302 from 2008-10, just .02 higher than Wilson's current average. Wilson's average would also rank ninth all time since 1982 across all NCAA Divisions if the season ended today. Kristi Scott currently holds the top career hitting percentage since 1982, as she hit .341 when the Vikings were a Division II program from 1990-91. Additionally, Wilson ranks eighth all time in Division I career solo blocks with 44 in her career. Michelle Segun holds the Division I career record with 89 solo blocks from 2004-07.
 
HITTING PCT. (1982-Pres.)            
Minimum 1,000 Attempts
Rk   Name                                         Avg
1.     Kristi Scott (1990-91)                 .341
2.     Peggy Adams (1992-95)            .333
3.     Wendy Coleman (1990-91)       .320
4.     Leanne Peters (1990-93)           .319
5.     Theresa Huitinga (1982-85)       .305
6.     Robin Unger (1992-93)              .305
7.     Lana Zielke (2008-10)                .302
8.     Katy Wilson (2015-Pres.)          .300
9.     Jenny Norlin (1986-89)              .297
10.   Maria Rickman (1986-89)          .288
 
HITTING PCT. – DI (1996-Pres.)     
Minimum 1,000 Attempts
Rk   Name                                         Avg
1.     Lana Zielke (2008-10)                .302
2.     Katy Wilson (2015-Pres.)          .300
3.     Lisa Thomas (2001-04)              .287
4.     Jessica Frederick (2003-06)       .270
5.     Erica Jepsen (2006-09)              .266
6.     Katie O'Brien (2011-14)             .265
7.     Michelle Segun (Robertson)      .249
        (2004-07)
8.     Leigh-Ann Haataja (2011-14)    .242
9.     Christie Hamilton (2007-10)      .240
10.   Aubrey Mitchell (2010-13)        .233
 
SOLO BLOCKS – DI (1996-Pres.)    
Rk   Name                                         Total
1.     Michelle Segun (Robertson)      89
        (2004-07)                                  
2.     Hannah Long** (1996-98)         68
3.     Katie O'Brien (2011-14)             66
4.     Erica Jepsen (2006-09)              53
5.     Lisa Thomas (2001-04)              52
6.     Nicole Geils (1998-01)               51
7.     Jessica Frederick (Vanzant)       49
        (2003-06)                                  
8.     Katy Wilson (2015-Pres.)          44
9.     Stacy Ball (1999-02)                  39
        Lana Zielke (2008-10)                39
 
MULL(EN)ING OVER HISTORY
Senior outside hitter Jenna Mullen ranks tied for 10th all time in Division I career aces per set with an average of 0.25. Mullen ranks tied with Stephanie Lavigne, who averaged 0.25 aces per set from 2001-05. Jessica Brodie ranks a tenth better than anybody else in the Division I history of the program with a school-record average of 0.43 aces per set from 2003-06.
 
ACES / SET – DI (1996-Pres.)            
Minimum Two Seasons                   
Rk   Name                                               Avg
1.     Jessica Brodie (2003-06)                  0.43
2.     Shawna Sears (1998-99)                  0.33
        Melissa Osterloh (2004-05)             0.33
4.     Marija Vojnovic (2006-09)               0.32
5.     Kaeli Patton (2010-13)                     0.31
6.     Sarah Sirianni (2003-06)                  0.30
7.     Taryn Winters (1996-99)                 0.29
8.     Nique Fradella (2006-09)                0.27
9.     Richell Wilson (2000-03)                 0.26
10.   Stephanie Lavigne (2001-03, 05)     0.25
        Jenna Mullen (2015-Pres.)              0.25
 
VIKINGS HAVE A HECK OF A LIBERO:
Senior Hadley Heck has started the Vikings' last four matches at libero, starting with the Vikings' match against Colorado State on Sept. 15 at the Colorado Classic. Heck recorded 20+ digs in back-to-back matches between the Vikings' matches against Indiana State and Montana State on Sept. 15 and 20, respectively. Heck recorded 22 digs in the Vikings' four-set match against the Sycamores, and then posted a career-high 23 digs in the Vikings' five-set match against the Bobcats. Heck has averaged 4.8 digs per set since taking over as the Vikings' full-time libero before the team's match against Colorado State on Sept. 15.
 
SCHEDULING AGAINST THE BEST
The Vikings didn't hold back on their non-conference schedule this season, as they played four 2017 NCAA tournament teams out of five 2017 postseason teams overall. The Vikings played Oregon, Oregon State, Colorado and Colorado State during the non-conference season, all of which made the NCAA tournament last season. The Vikings also played Boise State, which made the National Invitational Volleyball Championship last season. Additionally, the Vikings played the Ducks when they were ranked 18th in the nation, and faced the Beavers, Buffaloes and Rams when they were receiving votes in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Aug. 24: The Vikings beat Long Beach State, 3-0, to hand head coach Michael Seemann his 200th win at Portland State. Seemann became the third Viking volleyball coach to reach 200 wins in his or her career, joining Marlene Piper (445 wins) and Jeff Mozzochi (371 wins).
Aug. 25: Senior outside hitter Jenna Mullen recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the Vikings' matches against Boise State and Long Beach State. She had only recorded two double-doubles in her career before, but doubled that total in one day.
Sept. 7: The Vikings came within a few points of upsetting California out of the Pac-12 conference, as they lost 15-11 to the Bears in the fifth set. The Vikings recorded a season-high 12 blocks against the Bears, five more than they had in any other match to that point in the season. Sophomore Parker Webb set career highs in kills (15), digs (12) and attacks (45) in the match while finishing with her first-career double-double. Senior Katy Wilson was also a kill away from her first-career double-double as she had nine kills and a career-high 10 blocks in the match.
Sept. 15: Several Vikings set seasonal or career bests in the Vikings' 3-1 loss to Indiana State, including senior Jenna Mullen, who set career highs for kills (20) and digs (16) in the match. Besides Mullen, Katy Wilson tied a career high with 13 kills in the match, and did so while committing only one error on 22 total attacks. Junior Toni McDougald also recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 kills and 12 digs. Additionally, senior Hadley Heck and junior Mary Jo McBride set career highs for digs (22) and assists (24), respectively.