FIRST SERVE
A little home cooking can cure any ill. 
 
The Portland State volleyball team found that to be true last weekend, as they went 2-1 while posting wins over cross-town rival University of Portland and previously unbeaten Grand Canyon at the PDX Classic.
 
Fortunately for the Vikings, they remain home for another tournament this weekend, as they host North Dakota State and Gonzaga for the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown. The Vikings face North Dakota State twice – Friday and Saturday, both at 7 p.m. – before closing out the tournament against Gonzaga at 1 p.m. Sunday. North Dakota State and Gonzaga will also face each other in a neutral-site match at 11 a.m. Saturday. 
 
Last weekend's home tournament saw the Viking offense post a resurgent weekend in which they hit above .240 in every match. The Vikings came into the weekend ranked last in the Big Sky while hitting just .084 as a team, but that version of the Vikings was nowhere in sight at the PDX Classic.
 
Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb led the Vikings to their resurgent weekend while each earned All-Tournament Team honors. Lewis averaged 4.08 kills, 2.31 digs, 0.54 service aces and 0.69 blocks per set across the Vikings' three matches at the PDX Classic. Webb, meanwhile, averaged 3.85 kills and 2.31 digs per set while hitting .328 at the tournament.
 
Both players were at their best in the Vikings' five-set win over Grand Canyon Friday, when they became the first pair of Viking teammates to record over 20 kills in the same match since 2015. Lewis finished with 25 kills on .302 hitting to go with 12 digs against the Lopes, while Webb recorded 22 kills on .383 hitting to go with 14 digs.
 
Setter Ally Wada also had a big match against the Lopes, as well as a big weekend at the PDX Classic. Wada recorded a career-high 62 assists against the Lopes, including 11 assists on the team's 14 kills in the fifth set, when they hit .619 to close out the victory.
 
Wada added 13 digs to her career-high 62 assists Friday, giving her the middle of what proved to be three straight double-doubles over the weekend. Wada now has four double-doubles in eight matches this season for the Vikings, less than a year after she had 11 double-doubles in 17 matches during the Vikings' 2021 winter season.
 
Gabby Hollins also emerged as another threat for the Viking offense over the weekend. Hollins came off the bench to post a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs against the Lopes Friday, then tied Webb for a team high with 14 kills on .303 hitting against UTEP Saturday. All told, Hollins averaged 3.33 kills and 2.22 digs per set while hitting .257 at the PDX Classic.
 
Ellie Snook earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors following the PDX Classic, as she recorded 67 digs at the tournament, 53 of which came in the Vikings' two wins. Snook's play increased her lead for digs per set within the Big Sky Conference, as she now averages 5.10 d/s. That gives Snook a lead of 1.19 digs per set over the No. 2-ranked player in the conference, Idaho State's Asiah Sopoaga (3.91 d/s).
 
Snook and the Viking defense will have their hands full against North Dakota State, as the Bison come into the weekend having won five of their last six matches. That stretch includes a win over the University of California out of the Pac-12 Conference, where the Bison went 3-0 last weekend at the Bears' home tournament. Besides the win over the Bears, the Bison also beat Butler and Nevada in four sets each.
 
NDSU returned four starters and their libero from last year's team, including last season's Summit League Freshman of the Year in Ali Hinze. Hinze and fellow returner Syra Tanchin lead the Bison offensively so far this season, as they rank tied for the team lead with 3.17 kills per set. 
 
Overall, the Bison rank third in the Summit League with 12.7 kills per set as a team, and also rank fourth in hitting percentage at .226.
 
Gonzaga also favors the offensive side of the net, though they haven't had the same luck as the Bison. The Zags come into the weekend having lost four in a row, including all three of their matches at last weekend's Cougar Challenge, hosted by Washington State. The Zags haven't played poorly necessarily, though. They went to five sets against Long Beach State – a team that beat the Vikings in three sets – before losing Friday. 
 
A strength so far for the Zags has been their serving, as they rank fourth in the West Coast Conference and 36th in that nation with 1.91 aces per set. Kennedy Croft leads the way from the service line, as she has 13 aces individually.
 
The Zags have struggled defensively, however, as they rank last in the WCC in both opponent hitting percentage (.312) and digs per set (10.4), as well as second to last in blocks per set (1.38).
 
There's room for more home nourishment, then, for the Vikings. And they'll get three more spoonfuls of it this weekend at the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown.
 
MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (3-5) vs. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (6-3)
MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (3-5) vs. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (6-3)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO (Friday Only)
DETAILS #1: Friday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
DETAILS #2: Saturday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE: The North Dakota State Bison enter the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown having won five of their last six matches, including a 3-1 win over the University of California on Sept. 10 at the Bears' home tournament. The Bison won all three of their matches at the Cal Tournament, as they also beat Butler and Nevada in four sets last weekend. The Bison came into the season with four starters plus their libero returning from a 2020-21 season that saw them go 10-8 overall and finish fifth in the Summit League. Sophomore outside hitter Ali Hinze returned for the Bison after being named the Summit League Freshman of the Year as well an All-Summit League selection last season. Hinze led all freshmen in the league with 3.80 kills per set last season, and ranks tied for the team lead this season, as she and fellow returner Syra Tanchin average 3.17 kills per set. Sophomore libero Taylor Quan also returned after joining Hinze on the Summit League All-Freshman Team last season. Overall, the Bison rank as a strong offensive team, as they rank third in the Summit League with 12.7 kills per set, and fourth with a team hitting percentage of .226. Hinze and Tanchin lead the way with their 3.17 kills per set each, while junior middle blocker Michelle Glover leads the Bison while ranking third in the Summit League with a .392 individual hitting percentage. Glover was named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday, after she averaged 1.25 blocks per set last weekend while also chipping in 2.83 kills per set on .433 hitting.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Bison, 8-4. The teams have only played once since 1994, however, and that was in 2006, when the Vikings beat the Bison, 3-1, at a tournament in Seattle. 
 
MATCH #3: PORTLAND STATE (3-5) vs. GONZAGA (3-6)
LIVE STATS
DETAILS: Sunday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING GONZAGA: The Gonzaga Bulldogs come into the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown having lost four in a row, including all three of their matches at last weekend's Cougar Challenge, hosted by Washington State. The Zags haven't played poorly necessarily, however, as they went five sets with Long Beach State – a team that beat the Vikings in three sets – last Friday at the Cougar Challenge. The Zags also went 2-1 at their home tournament the previous weekend, beating Seattle, 3-0, and Air Force, 3-1, before falling in their final match of the tournament against Oklahoma. A strength so far for the Zags has been their serving as they rank fourth in the West Coast Conference and 36th in that nation with 1.91 aces per set. Kennedy Croft leads the way from the service line, as she has 13 aces individually. The Zags have struggled defensively, however, as they rank last in the WCC in both opponent hitting percentage (.312) and digs per set (10.4), as well as second to last in blocks per set (1.38). The team has been better offensively, with McKenna Marshall leading the way with a team-high 3.34 kills per set so far this season. Besides Marshall, Croft ranks second on the team with 2.78 kills per set, while Cara McKenzie ranks third at 1.75 k/s. Brynn Chandler and Keau Kamake'eaina have split time at setter, and averaged 9.10 and 6.20 assists per set, respectively. Chandler also ranks second on the team with 2.19 digs per set, just behind sophomore libero Alisa Kim, who leads the team with 2.22 digs per set. 
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Zags, 11-9. Gonzaga has won three of the last four and five of the last seven in the series, however, including the team's last match, a 3-0 Gonzaga win on Sept. 8, 2018. The Vikings' last win came a year before, as the Vikings beat the Zags, 3-0, in a road match on Sept. 2, 2017.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings went 2-1 against a tough tournament field at the PDX Classic last weekend. The Vikings opened with a 3-1 win over cross-town rival University of Portland Thursday, then handed Grand Canyon its first loss of the season with a 3-2 win on Friday. The Vikings also played well against an 8-1 UTEP team, but fell in four sets Saturday.
• Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb were named to the PDX Classic All-Tournament Team after posting big weekends at the Vikings' home tournament. Lewis averaged 4.08 kills, 2.31 digs, 0.54 aces and 0.69 blocks per set at the tournament. Webb averaged 3.85 kills and 2.31 digs per set while hitting .328. Lewis and Webb both recorded 20+ kills against Grand Canyon Friday, becoming the first Viking teammates to do so in the same match since 2015. Lewis finished with 25 kills on .302 hitting to go with 12 digs against the Lopes, while Webb had 22 kills on .383 hitting to go with 14 digs.
• Parker Webb and Makayla Lewis rank eighth and 10th in the Big Sky Conference for kills per set, respectively, as they now average 3.24 k/s and 3.09 k/s after their big weekends at the PDX Classic.
• Ellie Snook was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week Monday after totaling 67 digs in the Vikings' three matches at the PDX Classic. Snook had 53 digs in the Vikings' two wins, as she recorded 23 in the Vikings' four-set win over Portland, before adding 30 digs in the team's five-set win over Grand Canyon. Snook's big weekend increased her lead for digs per set within the Big Sky Conference. Snook now averages 5.10 digs per set, 1.19 digs per set more than the No. 2-ranked player in the conference, Idaho State's Asiah Sopoaga (3.91 d/s).
• The Viking offense had a resurgent weekend at the PDX Classic, as the Vikings hit over .240 in every match. It was a stark contrast from the start of the season for the Vikings, when they failed to hit above .150 in all but one of their first five matches of the season.
• Gabby Hollins came off the bench to post a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs in the Vikings' five-set win over Grand Canyon Friday. Hollins then followed with 14 kills on .303 hitting while starting the team's match against UTEP Saturday. All told, Hollins averaged 3.33 kills and 2.22 digs per set while hitting .257 at the PDX Classic.
• Ally Wada posted three straight double-doubles in the Vikings' matches at the PDX Classic. The highlight of Wada's current streak came Friday in the Vikings' five-set win over the previously unbeaten Grand Canyon Lopes. Wada recorded a career-high 62 assists in the match to go with 13 digs. Wada had 11 assists on the Vikings' 14 kills in the fifth set, when she led the Viking offense to .619 hitting in the crucial set.
• Ellie Snook and Zoe McBride rank fifth and ninth in the Big Sky while averaging 0.45 and 0.39 aces per set, respectively.
• Genevieve Florig ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 0.97 blocks per set, after totaling 13 blocks in the Vikings' three matches at the PDX Classic.
• The Vikings have more upperclassmen (10) than underclassmen (6) for the first time since 2018. It's a far cry from the team's numbers two years ago, when they had seven freshmen and nine underclassmen on their 12-player roster. The team has three fifth-year players in Genevieve Florig, Maddy Reeb and Parker Webb.
• The Vikings added six newcomers over the offseason between three true freshmen – Morgan Halady, Teniyah Leuluai and Lily Snook – and three transfers – Genevieve Florig, Makayla Lewis and Sydney Rabe. Of the transfers, Florig came in as a grad transfer from UCONN, Lewis played two years at San Jose State, while Rabe was at UW Green Bay last year but didn't play and remains a redshirt freshman. Florig joins Zoe McBride, who transferred to the Vikings before last season, as players from the Portland area who started their careers at other Division I schools before transferring back to the region.
• Lily Snook joined her sister Ellie on the Vikings' team this season. Their father, Jamie Snook, also played men's basketball at Portland State from 1996-99. Additionally, their cousin, Jake Porter, plays for the Vikings' football team, and Jake's dad played baseball at Portland State in the 1990s.
• Maddy Reeb would have exhausted her eligibility last year, but decided to come back for a fifth year after the NCAA granted all volleyball players an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reeb split time between being a setter and an outside hitter during her first four years at Portland State, but will play exclusively on the outside this season. Reeb's versatility saw her become the first Viking since 2010 to record a triple-double last year, which she did twice during the season.

 
RESURGENT OFFENSE
The Vikings came into the PDX Classic ranked last in the Big Sky Conference with a team hitting percentage of just .084, but that was a far cry from the team Viking fans saw last weekend. The Vikings hit over .240 in all three matches at the tournament, something they had done only once in their first five matches of the season. Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb led the Vikings to their resurgent weekend while each earned All-Tournament Team honors. Lewis averaged 4.08 kills, 2.31 digs, 0.54 service aces and 0.69 blocks per set across the Vikings' three matches at the PDX Classic. Webb, meanwhile, averaged 3.85 kills and 2.31 digs per set while hitting .328 at the tournament. Both were at their best in the Vikings' five-set win over Grand Canyon Friday, when they became the first pair of Viking teammates to record over 20 kills in the same match since 2015. Lewis finished with 25 kills on .302 hitting to go with 12 digs against the Lopes, while Webb recorded 22 kills on .383 hitting to go with 14 digs. Setter Ally Wada also had a big match against the Lopes, as well as a big weekend at the PDX Classic. Wada recorded a career-high 62 assists in the Vikings' win over the Lopes, including 11 assists on 14 kills as the team hit .619 in the crucial fifth set. Wada added 13 digs to her career-high 62 assists Friday, giving her the middle of what turned into three straight double-doubles she recorded at the PDX Classic. Besides Wada, Gabby Hollins also emerged for the Viking offense over the weekend. Hollins came off the bench to post a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs against the Lopes Friday, then tied Webb for a team high with 14 kills on .303 hitting against UTEP Saturday. All told, Hollins averaged 3.33 kills and 2.22 digs per set while hitting .257 over the weekend.
 
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
In addition to their resurgent offense, the Vikings have also posted some strong defensive matches of late. The Vikings held cross-town rival University of Portland to .043 hitting Thursday, a season low for a Viking opponent. As good as that match was for the defense, the Vikings may have played even better against then-No. 18 UCLA on Sept. 3 despite falling in three sets to the Bruins. The Vikings held the high-powered Bruins to.185 hitting, which was the season low for a Viking opponent at the time. Additionally, the Vikings held the Bruins' Mac May – a two-time Second-Team AVCA All-American – to only six kills on .235 hitting, while Élan McCall – an All-Pac-12 selection last season – only had four kills on .095 hitting against the Vikings. Junior libero Ellie Snook leads all of the Vikings' defensive efforts, as she also leads the Big Sky Conference with 5.10 digs per set. Snook's play means the Vikings also lead the Big Sky with 15.8 digs per set as a team, while the Vikings rank sixth in the conference with an opponent hitting percentage of .216. Genevieve Florig, a grad transfer from UCONN, has also moved into the Big Sky rankings with 0.97 blocks per set, an average that ranks her sixth in the conference.
 
ELLIE SNOOK, DEFENSIVE MASTER
Ellie Snook joined elite company within the Viking program when she was named the Big Sky Conference Libero of the Year last season. Snook joined Kasimira Clark (2012, 2013) and Tasha Bojanic (2017) as Vikings who have earned the honor, giving the program four honorees in the past nine seasons. Snook earned another honor from the conference Monday, as she was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after posting 67 digs in the Vikings' three matches at the PDX Classic. Snook recorded 53 digs in the Vikings' two wins at the tournament, recording 23 in the team's four-set win over Portland Thursday, and 30 in their five-set win over Grand Canyon Friday. Snook's play increased her lead for digs per set within the Big Sky Conference, as she now averages 5.10 d/s. That gives Snook a lead of 1.19 digs per set over the No. 2-ranked player in the conference, Idaho State's Asiah Sopoaga (3.91 d/s). Snook also ranks 28th nationally for digs per set, while she ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 0.45 aces per set.
 
WEBB SLINGER
Redshirt senior Parker Webb has made two straight All-Tournament Teams while becoming a rock for the Vikings offensively. Webb made the PDX Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend, a week after earning the same honor at the Vikings' tournament at Long Beach State. Webb recorded 14 kills or more in all three matches at the PDX Classic, including a season-high 22 on .383 hitting in the Vikings' five-set win over previously unbeaten Grand Canyon. Webb finished last weekend averaging 3.85 kills and 2.31 digs per set while hitting .328 against the Vikings' three opponents. For the season, Webb has recorded double-digit kills in five of the Vikings' eight matches, and has hit over .300 while recording at least 12 kills in three matches. Webb's strong play of late means she now ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 3.24 kills per set.
 
MAKAYLA LEWIS, FROM SPARTAN TO VIKING
A transfer from San Jose State before the season, Makayla Lewis has made a seamless transition from being a Spartan to Viking. Lewis had her best weekend to date at the PDX Classic, where she made the All-Tournament Team. Lewis led the Vikings to a five-set win over previously unbeaten Grand Canyon Friday, while recording a career-high 25 kills on .302 hitting to go with 12 digs. Lewis also had 19 kills on .333 hitting in the Vikings' four-set win Thursday over cross-town rival University of Portland. All told, Lewis averaged 4.08 kills, 2.31 digs, 0.54 aces, 0.69 blocks and 4.96 points per set at the PDX Classic last weekend. As a result, the junior transfer now ranks 10th in the Big Sky Conference with a season-long average of 3.09 kills per set.
 
A WHOLE LOTTA WADA
Senior Ally Wada was a walking double-double last season despite barely making it to Portland before the season started. Wada didn't make it to Portland until late December 2020, and yet opened her Viking career less than a month later. Wada showed few signs of being fazed by it all, as she finished with 11 double-doubles in only 17 matches last season. Wada seemed to pick up where she left off last season while recording three straight double-doubles at the PDX Classic. Wada's best match to date as a Viking came in the team's middle match of the PDX Classic, when she recorded a new career high with 62 assists to go with 13 digs against previously unbeaten Grand Canyon. Wada recorded 11 assists on the Vikings' 14 kills in the crucial fifth set against the Lopes, when she led the Vikings to .619 hitting in the set. Wada also had double-doubles in the Vikings' matches against Portland (31a, 11d) and UTEP (42a, 11d), giving her weekend averages of 10.38 assists and 2.69 digs per set. Wada also had a double-double in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Santa Clara on Aug. 28, finishing with 33 assists and 17 digs. Wada was at her best in the crucial third set of that match, as she recorded 13 assists and eight digs in that frame alone. Wada, who made the Oregon Invitational All-Tournament Team after the Santa Clara match, now ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 8.45 assists per set.
 
YOUNG NO MORE
The Vikings have more upperclassmen (10) than underclassmen (6) this season for the first time since 2018. The team has been developing its young players over the past two seasons, and now has as many fifth-year seniors (3 – Genevieve Florig, Maddy Reeb, Parker Webb) as they do true freshmen (3 – Morgan Halady, Teniyah Leuluai, Lily Snook). It's a far cry from where the Vikings' roster was two years ago, when the team featured seven freshmen and nine underclassmen on their 12-player roster.
 
DIVISION I TRANSFERS
The Vikings have added six Division I transfers in the past two seasons. Zoe McBride (Morgan State), Megan Sester (Cal Baptist) and Ally Wada (San Francisco) joined the Vikings before last season, while Genevieve Florig (UCONN), Makayla Lewis (San Jose State) and Sydney Rabe (UW Green Bay) joined the Vikings before this season. McBride and Wada finished with four and 11 double-doubles, respectively, in the team's shortened 2021 winter season. Lewis, meanwhile, was the only Viking to finish with at least eight kills, four blocks and 10 digs in the team's 5-0 exhibition win over Central Washington Monday.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings to finish sixth in the conference before the season. If that were to come to fruition, it would mark the Vikings' highest finish within the conference since 2017, when they placed fourth. A sixth-place finish in the Big Sky would also see the Vikings return to the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2017, when they made it to the conference semifinals before losing to regular-season champion and host Sacramento State.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Sept. 10, 2021, Portland State 3, Grand Canyon 2: The Vikings handed Grand Canyon, which entered the match 7-0, its first loss of the season while winning in five sets. Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb became the first Viking teammates to record 20+ kills in the same match since Pati Anae and Eva Linden each had 21 kills against Montana State on Oct. 24, 2015. Those two were also part of four Vikings who finished with double-doubles in the match, only the second time that's happened since 2010, and the first time since 2019.
Sept. 9, 2021, Portland State 3, Portland 1: The Vikings beat their cross-town rival in the Pilots, breaking open a match that had been tied 1-1 and 14-all in the third set. The Vikings won 11 of the final 14 points of the third set, then dominated the fourth set, 25-7. 
Aug. 28, 2021, Portland State 3, Santa Clara 1: Ellie Snook set a new four-set career high with 30 digs as the Vikings overcame a first-set loss to beat the Broncos in four sets. Snook had 14 digs in the crucial third set alone. Ally Wada was named to the Oregon Invitational All-Tournament Team after she finished with 33 assists and 17 digs in the match.