Complete Match Notes (PDF)

QUICK HITS
With all due respect to funk legend George Clinton, the Portland State volleyball team does not want the funk.
 
The Vikings find themselves in a funk, as they head into the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge this weekend at the Viking Pavilion. The Vikings have lost five matches in a row since a season-opening sweep of Long Beach State on Aug. 24. The Vikings' last three losses have all been sweeps at the hands of then-No. 18 Oregon, Oregon State and UC Davis.
 
Scheduling has contributed to the Vikings' recent funk, as three of the team's five losses in the stretch have come against 2017 postseason teams. Oregon and Oregon State both made the NCAA tournament last season, while the Vikings also lost 3-1 to Boise State, which made the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
 
The Vikings changed up their lineup in their last match against UC Davis in an effort to snap out of the funk. Senior defensive specialist Haley Glass saw her first action at libero in the third set of the match against the Aggies, while junior newcomer Mary Jo McBride made her season debut at setter. Junior newcomer Timi Severson also made her Viking debut in the match, and recorded a solo block in the third set.
 
Seniors Jenna Mullen and Katy Wilson remained stalwarts for the Vikings despite the changes, as they led the team with eight and seven kills, respectively, against the Aggies. Wilson recorded her seven kills on 16 attacks while only committing one error, giving her a team-best .375 hitting percentage in the match.
 
The Vikings open the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge against Fresno State at 10 a.m. Friday, and play the University of California at 7 p.m. later in the day. The Vikings will conclude the tournament against Gonzaga at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
 
STORYLINES
• Senior defensive specialist Haley Glass saw her first action of the season at libero for the Vikings in the third set of the team's match against UC Davis.
• Senior middle blocker Katy Wilson had seven kills on 16 attacks while committing only one error in the Vikings' match against UC Davis on Sept. 1.
• Junior setter Mary Jo McBride saw her first action of the season in the team's match against UC Davis, and tied starting setter Maddy Reeb with 12 assists in the match.
• Timi Severson made her Viking debut against the Aggies, and recorded a solo block late in the third set.
• The Vikings have lost five straight matches for the first time since losing six matches in a row from Nov. 15, 2014 to Sept. 2, 2015. The Vikings haven't lost more than five matches in a single season since they lost six in a row from Sept. 12-27, 2014.
• The Vikings' opponents have outhit them in five straight matches. The Vikings have hit less than .200 in four of their six matches this season.
• The Vikings have lost 10 sets in a row, going back to the fourth set against Long Beach State on Aug. 25. The Vikings haven't lost that many sets in a row since they lost 13 in a row from Sept. 20, 2003 to Oct. 10, 2003.
 
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (1-5)
10.85 k/s | 10.45 a/s | 14.30 d/s | 1.40 b/s
Notable: The Portland State Vikings will look to snap a bad spell at the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge this weekend. The Vikings have lost five matches in a row, with the last three being sweeps at the hands of Oregon, Oregon State and UC Davis. The Vikings' tough schedule has contributed to the recent funk, as the Ducks came into their match against the Vikings ranked 18th in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll, while the Beavers were receiving votes. The Ducks and Beavers are also two of three teams to beat the Vikings that made the 2017 postseason, while the other losses came to quality Long Beach State and UC Davis teams. The Vikings changed up their lineup in their last match against the Aggies, as junior transfer Mary Jo McBride saw her first action at setter, while senior defensive specialist Haley Glass saw her first action at libero. Seniors Jenna Mullen and Katy Wilson remain steady hands for the Vikings, as they led the Vikings with eight and seven kills, respectively, against the Aggies. Wilson recorded her seven kills while committing only one error on 16 attacks, giving her a .375 hitting percentage in the match. Wilson would break the Division I career record for hitting percentage if the season ended today, as her .324 career average ranks 22 points ahead of the current record that Lana Zielke set at .302 from 2008-10. Mullen leads the Vikings with 3.40 kills per set, an average that ranks her tied for fifth in the Big Sky Conference.
 
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (6-1)
13.00 k/s | 12.30 a/s | 16.10 d/s | 2.20 b/s
Notable: The Fresno State Bulldogs have opened the season with six wins in their first seven matches under first-year head coach Jonathan Winder. The Bulldogs' only loss so far this season came last weekend at the team's home tournament, as Saint Mary's beat the Bulldogs 3-1 at the Fresno State Invitational on Aug. 30. The Bulldogs followed the loss with 3-2 wins over American and San Francisco, however, and have also beaten Valparaiso (3-2), Eastern Illinois (3-1), Saint Francis (3-2) and Fresno Pacific (3-0) this season. Winder came to the Bulldogs after serving as an assistant coach for the University of Washington volleyball team since 2015, as well as the head coach of the Huskies' beach volleyball team. Winder had the benefit of five returning starters for his first year as the Bulldogs head coach, while the Bulldogs also returned seven seniors. Senior outside hitters Jessica Gilbert and Taylor Slover lead the Bulldogs with 3.26 and 3.16 kills per set, respectively. Senior middle blocker Haile Watson ranks third on the team with 2.45 kills per set, and averages 1.03 blocks per set. Sophomore outside hitter Montez Uigaese leads the Bulldogs with 1.06 blocks per set, while Gilbert averages 0.77 blocks per set. Sophomore Reagan Leonard replaced departed senior Jacqueline Hutcheson as the team's starting libero, and leads the team with 5.16 digs per set this season. Leonard ranks sixth in the nation with 160 total digs so far, and ranks 39th in digs per set. Junior Madelyn Halteman and sophomore Sydney Lostumo split time at setter last season for the Bulldogs, but Halteman has started all seven matches so far for the Bulldogs this season. Halteman leads the team with 9.23 assists per set, while Lostumo ranks second with 2.29 assists per set.
 
FRESNO STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 7-1. The Bulldogs won the only match between the teams since the 1980s, however, when they beat the Vikings in five sets on their home court in 2016. The Vikings had won their first seven matches against the Bulldogs before that from 1980-85.
 
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (5-1)
13.80 k/s | 12.80 a/s | 16.10 d/s | 1.60 b/s
Notable: The California Golden Bears have started the season 5-1 in their first year under head coach Jennifer Dorr. The Bears' lone loss came to South Dakota, 3-1, last Friday at the Coyotes' home tournament. The Bears posted three straight sweeps to open the season, as they beat Chicago State, Rutgers and Colgate, 3-0, on their home floor at the Cal Molten Classic, Aug. 24-25. The Bears also beat a Big Sky school in Northern Colorado at the South Dakota tournament, 3-1, last Friday. Dorr had served five seasons as an assistant for the Bears until being elevated to head coach following the team's 13-18 record in 2017. Dorr follows Matt McShane, who spent only one year as head coach after longtime Cal head coach Rich Feller retired after 18 seasons following the 2016 season. Sophomore outside hitter Mima Mirkovic leads the Bears with 3.55 kills per set, and also leads the team with 3.95 digs per set. Mirkovic has posted two double-doubles already this season, including 12 kills and 23 digs in the team's match against South Dakota. Junior and senior outside hitters Bailee Huizenga and Carmen Annevelink rank second and third on the team with 2.60 and 2.55 kills per set, respectively. The Bears only have six solo blocks as a team so far this season, and no Bears player averages more than a block per set. Sophomore middle blocker Preslie Anderson leads the Bears with 0.90 blocks per set, while Huizenga ranks second with 0.65 blocks per set. Junior libero Emma Smith ranks second behind Mirkovic with 3.05 digs per set. Freshman Jade Blevins and sophomore Isabel Potter have split time at setter for the Bears this season, and average 5.75 and 5.10 assists per set, respectively.
 
CALIFORNIA SERIES HISTORY
The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 3-2. The Vikings and Bears have not played each other since 1986, however, which was a 2-0 win for the Bears.
 
VIKINGS VERSUS THE PAC-12
The Vikings will play their third Pac-12 team in Cal Friday night, after losing 3-0 to then-No. 18 Oregon and Oregon State last week. The Vikings had won three matches in a row against Pac-12 opponents before their loss to the Ducks last Tuesday. The Vikings beat Colorado (3-2 on Aug. 27, 2016) and Arizona State twice (3-1 on Sept. 16, 2016 and 3-1 on Sept. 2, 2017) in consecutive matches. The Vikings' win over Colorado in 2016 was their first over a Pac-12 opponent since the Vikings beat Utah in 2012. Before that, the Vikings' only win over a Pac-12 team since turning Division I in 1996 came in 2005, when the Vikings beat Oregon, 3-1. The Vikings are 5-38 all-time against Pac-12 opponents since 1996, but are 96-80-1 all-time when all records are taken into account.
 
GONZAGA BULLDOGS (0-5)
11.70 k/s | 11.00 a/s | 14.60 d/s | 1.90 b/s
Notable: The Gonzaga Bulldogs have lost their first five matches of the season, but have played a number of difficult opponents in those five matches. The Zags lost a pair of 3-1 matches to then-No. 11 UCLA on the road on the first weekend of the season. The Zags also lost 3-0 to the University of Utah at the Montana Invitational in Missoula last weekend, and lost 3-1 and 3-2 to Iowa State and Montana as well at the tournament. The Zags return five starters and their libero from last season. A pair of sophomore outside hitters lead the Zags in kills, as Chapin Gray and Sarah Penner average 3.00 and 2.85 kills per set, respectively. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Katelyn Oppio leads the Zags with 0.95 blocks per set, while redshirt senior outside hitter Perry Ramsey ranks second on the team with 0.80 blocks per set. Senior libero Tiyana Hallums leads the Zags with 3.42 digs per set. Junior setter Jenna Kuehn ranks second on the team with 3.00 digs per set, and averages 7.38 assists per set. Sophomore Mary Marzo has also played time at setter for the Zags, and averages 7.86 assists per set.
 
GONZAGA SERIES HISTORY
The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Zags, 11-8. The Vikings won the teams' last meeting, a 3-0 road win over the Zags on Sept. 2 last season. The Zags had won the two previous meetings before with 3-1 wins over the Vikings in 2014 and 2015.
 
LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available from all matches of the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge this weekend, including all the neutral-site matches. 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 all matches of the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge this weekend. The neutral-site matches will be available at WatchBigSky.com. All of the Vikings' matches, meanwhile, will be streamed at Pluto.TV for free. Teri Mariani will serve as the play-by-play announcer for all of the Vikings' matches.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings went 0-2 at the Rose City Showdown last weekend at the Viking Pavilion, losing in straight sets to Oregon State and UC Davis. The Vikings lost 3-0 to the Beavers Friday, but played an improved defensive match as compared to their last match against the 18-ranked Oregon Ducks. The Ducks hit .431 against the Vikings last Tuesday, but the Vikings held the Beavers to just .212 hitting. Additionally, the Vikings improved their block total from two against Oregon to five against the Beavers, and only allowed five service aces for the Beavers after the Ducks finished with 13. The Vikings held the Aggies to .217 hitting in their match Saturday, but the Vikings countered with only .118 hitting themselves. A poor first set put the Vikings behind early against the Aggies, just as it did in the Vikings' last two matches against the Ducks and Beavers. The Aggies recorded 18 kills against only five errors while hitting .325 in the first set. The Vikings, meanwhile, recorded five kills against five errors in the set. The Vikings recovered in the second set, and even outhit the Aggies .212-to-.156 in the frame, but couldn't complete a win in either the second or third sets.
 
UPCOMING
The Vikings head to Boulder, Colo., for three matches at the Colorado Classic next weekend. The Vikings face host Colorado at 7 p.m. (MT) Friday, Sept. 14, and then face Colorado State and Indiana State at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. (MT), respectively, Saturday, Sept. 15.
 
SCHEDULING AGAINST THE BEST
The Vikings scheduled a difficult non-conference slate for themselves this season with four 2017 NCAA tournament teams among five postseason teams overall. The Vikings have already played three postseason teams in Boise State, Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks and Beavers both made the NCAA tournament, with the Ducks advancing to the second round. The Vikings will also play Colorado and Colorado State on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15, respectively, after the Buffs and Rams made the NCAA Sweet 16 and second round last season. The Vikings will also play a fourth Pac-12 team this season in Cal at home on Sept. 7, though the Golden Bears did not make the postseason in 2017.
 
BIG SKY LEADERS
• Senior outside hitter Jenna Mullen ranks tied for fifth in the Big Sky with an average of 3.40 kills per set.
• Senior middle blocker Katy Wilson ranks sixth in the Big Sky with a .325 hitting percentage for the season.
• Sophomore setter Maddy Reeb ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 8.30 assists per set.
• Sophomore outside hitter Parker Webb ranks ninth in the Big Sky with 0.32 service aces per set.
 
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 229 wins in 13 years with the Bears. Seemann has one more Big Sky win than Oates, however, making him the active leader in conference wins.
 
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 ON CAREER RECORD WATCH
Senior middle blocker Katy Wilson has the chance to end her career with the top Division I hitting percentage in program history if things go well during her senior season. Wilson's current career hitting percentage of .324 ranks 22 points higher than the current Division I career record for hitting percentage, which Lana Zielke set at .302 from 2008-10. Wilson's .324 career hitting percentage would also rank third 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. Wilson also ranks eighth all time in Division I career solo blocks with 40 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.     Katy Wilson (2015-Pres.)          .324
4.     Wendy Coleman (1990-91)       .320
5.     Leanne Peters (1990-93)           .319
6.     Theresa Huitinga (1982-85)       .305
7.     Robin Unger (1992-93)              .305
8.     Lana Zielke (2008-10)                .302
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.     Katy Wilson (2015-Pres.)          .324
2.     Lana Zielke (2008-10)                .302
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.)          40
9.     Stacy Ball (1999-02)                  39
        Lana Zielke (2008-10)                39
 
MULL(EN)ING OVER HISTORY
Senior outside hitter Jenna Mullen ranks tied for ninth all-time in Division I career aces per set with an average of 0.26. Mullen ranks tied with Richell Wilson, who averaged 0.26 aces per set from 2000-03. 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
        Jenna Mullen (2015-Pres.)        0.26
 
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.