Second Straight No. 1 vs. No. 2 Matchup Awaits Vikings Saturday against Sacramento State

FIRST SERVE

A battle for first place in the Big Sky Conference, which the Portland State volleyball team faces this Saturday when Sacramento State comes to Viking Pavilion at 7 p.m., won't daunt the Vikings.

How could it? They just won a match with the same stakes on the line, and did it in an opponents' gym where they hadn't won since 2015.

But each new week presents its own challenge, especially for the top-ranked team in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings lead the Big Sky at 7-1 in conference play, having just completed the first half of the conference schedule with a pair of road sweeps at Idaho State and Weber State last weekend. Weber State could have moved past the Vikings in the standings if the Wildcats had beaten the Vikings Saturday, but the Vikings won that match in three sets while outhitting the Wildcats .353-to-.186.

So, the Vikings know that every other team in the conference will be gunning for them over the latter half of the Big Sky schedule and into the conference tournament.

It's the position the Vikings want to be in, though. They put themselves here thanks to a five-match winning streak, the last three of which have all been 3-0 sweeps. The Vikings hadn't swept Weber State on the road since 2012 before doing so last Saturday, and hadn't posted back-to-back sweeps at Idaho State and Weber State since 2008. The Vikings also swept Montana the previous Saturday, Oct. 8, meaning the Vikings head into the weekend having won 11 straight sets.

Both sides of the ball contributed to the back-to-back sweeps at Idaho State and Weber State. The Vikings outhit the Bengals and Wildcats .325-to-.131 across both matches, while out-killing them by 7.0 kills per set. The Vikings averaged 16.2 kills per set across both matches, while the Bengals and Wildcats combined for just 9.2.

Setter Madison Friebel was named Big Sky Co-Offensive Player of the Week Monday after orchestrating the big advantage for the Vikings. Friebel's distribution meant that four different Vikings averaged at least 3.00 kills per set over the weekend between Makayla Lewis (4.0 kills per set), Sophia Meyers (4.0 k/s), Parker Webb (3.5 k/s) and Ashlyn Blotzer (3.0 k/s). Those four all recorded at least eight kills in the Vikings' win over the Bengals last Thursday, a match the Vikings won in only 66 minutes. Lewis, Meyers and Webb also all recorded 10+ kills against the Wildcats Saturday.

Those three – Lewis, Meyers and Webb – have fueled a three-headed monster within the Viking offense. They all rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for kills per set within conference play, just as they all rank in the top 10 for points per set across all matches. Webb and Meyers rank tied for fifth in the Big Sky with 3.31 kills per set in conference play, while Lewis ranks ninth with 3.21 kills per set against Big Sky opponents.

Webb also joins middle blockers Ashleigh Barto and Ashlyn Blotzer in the top 10 of the conference for hitting percentage in Big Sky play. Barto ranks third in the conference with a .370 mark against Big Sky opponents, while Blotzer and Webb rank eighth and ninth, respectively, at .313 and .284.

The Hornets will test the Vikings' offensive hot streak. They come into the week leading the Big Sky with an opponent hitting percentage of just .145 in conference play. That's 15 percentage points lower than any other team in the conference as the Hornets have held six of their eight opponents to under .150 hitting.

Blocking and digging has fueled the Hornets' defensive numbers. The Hornets lead the Big Sky with 16.4 digs per set in conference play, and rank second in the Big Sky with 2.60 blocks per set. Libero Caty Cordano leads the conference with 5.50 digs per set in Big Sky play, while two different Hornets rank in the top five of the conference for blocks per set. Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin ranks third in the conference with 1.13 blocks per set against conference opponents, while Kalani Hayes ranks fifth at 1.07 blocks per set.

But the Vikings handled a strong defensive team last Saturday in Weber State. The Wildcats lead the Big Sky with 2.64 blocks per set in conference play, and yet the Vikings hit .353 against them with 55 kills, their most in a three-set match since 2017.

Still, the Hornets counter with a strong offense that ranks third in the conference with 12.7 kills per set in Big Sky play while ranking fifth in both aces per set (1.70) and hitting percentage (.189). Bridgett Smith ranks second in the conference with 3.80 kills per set against Big Sky opponents. No other Hornet player averages more than 3.00 kills per set in conference play, as Caitlin Volkmann ranks second on the team with 2.60 kills per set, while Hayes ranks third at 2.00 k/s.

The Hornets were a thorn in the Vikings' side last season. They swept their regular-season series against the Vikings via a 3-0 win in Sacramento and a 3-1 win at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings got their revenge at the Big Sky tournament, however, as they came back from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Hornets in five sets.

If those matches set any precedent, then Saturday's match could be a barn burner with the top spot in the Big Sky Conference on the line.

The Vikings will be ready for it.

PROMOTIONS

Saturday will double as the Vikings' Dig Pink game in support of The Side-Out Foundation's fight against breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match as well as donate what they can in support of the cause.

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (12-7, 7-1) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE (10-10, 6-2)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE: The Sacramento State Hornets come into Saturday's match ranked second in the Big Sky at 6-2 in conference play. The Hornets' two conference losses have both come on the road, as they lost at Northern Colorado in four sets on Oct. 1 and at Weber State in three sets on Oct. 13. Otherwise, the Hornets have won every other match behind one of the conference's best defenses. The Hornets lead the Big Sky with an opponent hitting percentage of just .145 in conference play. That's 15 percentage points lower than any other team in the conference as the Hornets have held six of their eight opponents to under .150 hitting. The Hornets rank 50th in the NCAA for opponent hitting percentage, and rank even higher in blocks per set where they rank 37th in the NCAA. Blocking and digging has fueled the Hornets' defensive numbers. The Hornets lead the Big Sky with 16.4 digs per set in conference play, and rank second in the conference with 2.60 blocks per set against Big Sky opponents. Libero Caty Cordano leads the Big Sky with 5.50 digs per set in conference play, while two different Hornets rank in the top five of the conference for blocks per set. Tiyanane Kamba-Griffin ranks third in the conference with 1.13 blocks per set in Big Sky play, while Kalani Hayes ranks fifth at 1.07 blocks per set. Offensively, the Hornets rank third in the conference with 12.7 kills per set in Big Sky play while ranking fifth in the conference in both aces per set (1.70) and hitting percentage (.189). Bridgett Smith ranks second in the conference with 3.80 kills per set against Big Sky opponents. No other Hornet player averages more than 3.00 kills per set, as Caitlin Volkmann ranks second on the team with 2.60 kills per set, while Hayes ranks third at 2.00 k/s. Kamba-Griffin also ranks fourth in the conference with a .346 hitting percentage in Big Sky play while averaging 1.67 kills per set. Setter Ashtin Olin ranks third in the conference with 10.3 assists per set in Big Sky play.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Hornets lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 50-25. The Vikings won the teams' latest meeting, beating the Hornets in five sets at the Big Sky tournament last season after the Hornets had swept the regular-season series. All told, the teams have split their last six meetings.

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

The Vikings have won 11 straight sets, including three straight sweeps of Montana (on Oct. 8, Idaho State (Oct. 13) and Weber State (Oct. 15). The sweeps of Idaho State and Weber State both came on the road, as the Vikings didn't drop a set on that road trip for the first time since 2008. The Vikings' 3-0 win at Weber State was their first road sweep over the Wildcats since 2012.
The Vikings have won five straight matches coming into Saturday, as well as 10 of their last 12.
Setter Madison Friebel was named Big Sky Co-Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Vikings to a .325-to-.131 combined hitting advantage in the team's sweeps of Idaho State and Weber State. Friebel also saw the Vikings out-kill the Bengals and Wildcats by an average of 7.0 kills per set. The Vikings averaged 16.2 kills per set across both matches, while Idaho State and Weber State averaged only 9.2.
The Vikings lead the Big Sky with a .258 hitting percentage in conference matches, while they rank second in kills per set (14.1), assists per set (13.1) and aces per set (1.86).
Four different players averaged at least 3.0 kills per set across both matches last week between Makayla Lewis (4.0 kills per set), Sophia Meyers (4.0 k/s), Parker Webb (3.5 k/s) and Ashlyn Blotzer (3.0 k/s). Those four all recorded at least eight kills in the team's 3-0 win over Idaho State last Thursday, while Lewis (16 kills, .517 hitting), Meyers (15 kills, .250 hitting) and Webb (12 kills, .296 hitting) all went into double figures for kills against Weber State.
Sophia Meyers, Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb all rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for points per set. Meyers ranks sixth in the conference with 3.70 points per set, while Lewis stands eighth at 3.58 and Webb ranks 10th at 3.45. Meyers and Lewis also both rank in the top 10 for kills per set, with Meyers seventh at 3.25 kills per set and Lewis next to her in eighth at 3.12.
Ellie Snook passed Kasimira Clark for the career record for digs during the fifth set of the Vikings' match against Northern Arizona on Oct. 1. Snook moved up to fifth all time last weekend, passing Northern Arizona's Anna Gott (2009-12) and Southern Utah's Sariah Pelaez (2013-16). She needs 40 more digs to pass Sacramento State's Breanne Menees (2008-11) for fourth all time.
Parker Webb leads the Big Sky and ranks 35th in the NCAA with 0.49 aces per set. She's one of three Vikings that rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for aces per set. Besides Webb, Sophia Meyers ranks fifth in the conference with 0.35 aces per set, while Ellie Snook ranks sixth with 0.34.
Setter Madison Friebel ranks second in the Big Sky with 11.62 assists per set against Big Sky opponents. She's twice recorded 50 assists during the conference season, and has been above 40 in five of the team's eight conference matches.
Middle blocker Ashleigh Barto ranks 10th in the Big Sky with a .286 hitting percentage, and that mark is even higher in Big Sky play. Barto ranks third in the Big Sky with a .370 hitting percentage during the conference season, when she's also averaged 1.79 kills per set.
Middle Blocker Ashlyn Blotzer has averaged 1.96 kills per set on .324 hitting over the team's last seven matches, after averaging just 0.71 kills per set on .094 hitting through the team's first 12. Blotzer had a season-high 11 kills on .529 hitting in the team's 3-0 sweep of Idaho State last Thursday.
Parker Webb broke the Division I program record for matches played and sets played earlier this season, and has moved up the all-time rankings within several other categories as well. Webb now ranks second in Division I program history in kills (1,318), aces (146), points (1,602.0) and attempts (3,719). She also ranks tied for ninth for hitting percentage at .240.
The Vikings are 3-0 in five-set matches this season, having won their latest five-setter at Northern Arizona on Oct. 1. All three of the Vikings' five-set wins have been on the road, as the Vikings also won in five sets at UTEP on Sept. 2 and at Eastern Washington on Sept. 24.
Portland State won its first match over a Pac-12 opponent since 2017 while picking up its first win over Oregon State since 1990 with a 3-1 win over the Beavers on Aug. 27 at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown. It's only the sixth win for the Vikings out of 50 matches against Pac-12 opponents during the program's Division I era.
The Vikings played an extremely tough non-conference schedule that featured five teams that won at least 20 matches last season. The tough non-conference schedule means the Vikings rank 90th in the latest RPI rankings, 31 spots ahead of Weber State at 121st, which is the second-highest ranked Big Sky team.
The Vikings hosted both Oregon and Oregon State on the opening weekend of the season, the first time they've hosted both in-state Pac-12 programs in a season since 2010. The Vikings also played the University of Portland on Sept. 15, making this season the first time since 2005 that the Vikings have played all three of the other in-state NCAA Division I programs.
The Vikings added six newcomers this season, including three Division I transfers in Ashlyn Blotzer (Eastern Washington), Madison Friebel (Butler) and Sophia Meyers (Montana). Blotzer comes to the Vikings after earning All-Big Sky second-team honors with the Eagles following each of the past two seasons. Friebel, meanwhile, was a two-year starting setter at Butler, while Meyers led the Grizzlies in kills during her lone season there during the COVID-altered 2021 winter season. The Vikings added a fourth transfer in Ella Hartford from William Jessup, an NAIA school. Freshmen Kendra Duffey and Danica Wulf, club teammates for Tstreet Volleyball Club, joined the Vikings following their prep careers.
The Vikings are coming off their first 20-win season since 2017, as they went 20-11 overall last season. Their 12-4 conference record last season was also their best Big Sky mark since going 17-3 in 2013.
The Vikings returned five starters off last year's team in outside hitters Makayla Lewis, Zoe McBride and Parker Webb, middle blocker Ashleigh Barto, and libero Ellie Snook. Lewis, Snook and Webb were all All-Big Sky first-team selections last season. Lewis was also named the Big Sky's Top Newcomer, while Snook earned her second straight Big Sky Libero of the Year honor.

OFFENSIVE GROOVE

The Vikings outhit Idaho State and Weber State .325-to-.131 combined across their two matches last weekend, continuing a dominant run for the Viking offense. The Vikings have outhit 11 of their last 12 opponents, and have hit .292 or better in their last three matches. The Vikings are now hitting .258 in Big Sky play, the highest average of any team in the conference. The Vikings also rank second in the conference in both kills and assists per set in Big Sky play, as they average 14.1 kills and 13.1 assists per set against conference opponents. Setter Madison Friebel has helped spur the Vikings offensively during their recent hot streak. Friebel ranks second in the Big Sky with 11.6 assists per set in Big Sky play, while her even distribution means that three different players rank in the top 10 for kills per set in Big Sky play. Parker Webb and Sophia Meyers rank tied for fifth with 3.31 kills per set in conference matches, while Makayla Lewis stands ninth with 3.21 kills per set against Big Sky opponents. Those three also all rank in the top 10 for points per set across all matches this season. Meyers ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 3.70 points per set across all matches, while Lewis and Webb rank eighth and 10th with 3.58 and 3.45 points per set, respectively. Three Vikings also rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for hitting percentage in conference matches. Middle blocker Ashleigh Barto ranks third in the conference with a .370 hitting percentage against Big Sky opponents, while Ashlyn Blotzer ranks eighth at .313 and Webb ranks ninth at .284.

ACE IN THE HOLE

A season after the Vikings recorded 209 aces – their most in a single season since 2005 – the Vikings have a deep rotation of tough servers again this year. Three different Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for aces per set, headlined by Parker Webb who leads the Big Sky and ranks 35th in the nation with 0.49 aces per set so far this season. Webb's average would break the single-season school record for aces per set if the season ended today. She'd better the record Ellie Snook set at 0.42 aces per set last season, even as Snook has been effective from the service line again this season. Snook ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 0.34 aces per set, just behind teammate Sophia Meyers, who ranks fifth in the conference with 0.35 aces per set. As a team, the Vikings rank third in the Big Sky and 50th in the nation with 1.76 aces per set. The strong serving has already seen the Vikings rewrite the record book, particularly Webb and Snook. Webb has moved up to second in Division I program history with 146 career aces, while Snook isn't far behind her, coming in at fourth with 118 career aces. Snook needs only 11 more aces to pass Sarah Sirianni (2003-06) for third, which would put her next to Webb in the record book. Jessica Brodie set the current Division I program record with 183 aces from 2003-06.

ALL ABOUT THE DEFENSE

The Vikings have not only hit well recently, they've also limited the offensive numbers for their opponents. Three of the Vikings' last four opponents have failed to hit above .150, while Idaho State hit .079, a season low for a Viking opponent. The Vikings have held 11 of their last 12 opponents to under .200 hitting, and now rank third in the Big Sky with an opponent hitting percentage of .191 this season. Strong digging has helped bolster the Vikings' defensive numbers. Five different players average at least 2.25 digs per set in conference play, including libero Ellie Snook, who ranks second in the conference with 5.00 digs per set against Big Sky opponents. Besides Snook, Sophia Meyers has averaged 2.86 digs per set in conference matches, while Makayla Lewis averages 2.46 d/s, Webb averages 2.31 d/s and Friebel averages 2.28 d/s. Situationally, the Vikings are 12-1 this season when they outhit their opponent and 12-2 when they hold their opponent to .200 hitting or less.

SOPHIA MANIA

One-third of the Vikings' three-headed monster on offense, Sophia Meyers has made an immediate impact in her first year on the Park Blocks. Meyers made two all-tournament teams during the non-conference schedule, and has been one of the dominant forces within the Vikings' offense as the team has won 10 of its last 12 matches. Meyers leads the Vikings with 3.25 kills per set this season, and also has a team-high eight double-doubles. Meyers recorded her latest double-double in the Vikings' 3-0 win at Weber State where she had 15 kills on .250 hitting while adding 11 digs. All told, she's totaled 10+ kills in 12 of the team's 19 matches while going over 10+ digs in 13 matches. She had her most efficient match of the season in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of Montana on Oct. 8. She hit .429 against the Grizzlies while finishing with 11 kills, nine digs and three aces. Meyers now ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in three different categories. She stands fifth in aces per set (0.35), while ranking sixth in points per set (3.70) and seventh in kills per set (3.25).

WEBB SLINGER

Spider-Man, or Spider-Woman, in our universe goes by the name of Parker Webb. Not Peter Parker. Parker Webb ranks tied with Sophia Meyers for the team lead in kills per set in Big Sky play, as she's averaged 3.31 against conference opponents. In addition to her kill production, Webb has been the toughest server within the conference this season. Webb leads the Big Sky with 0.49 aces per set, an average that would set a new single-season school record if the season ended today. Webb would pass the record of 0.42 aces per set that teammate Ellie Snook set last season. All of Webb's stats in conference play have been impressive, however. She leads the conference with 0.59 aces per set against Big Sky opponents, while ranking tied for fifth in kills per set (3.31) and ninth in hitting percentage (.284). The sixth-year senior has topped 10+ kills in eight of the team's last nine matches, and only missed double figures in the other match because the Vikings wrapped up a 3-0 sweep of Idaho State in just 66 minutes last Thursday. Webb has twice hit .500 or better while recording at least 12 kills this season. She had 15 kills on .619 hitting in the team's 3-0 sweep of Cal Poly on Sept. 11, then recorded 14 kills on .500 hitting in the team's five-set win at Eastern Washington on Sept. 24. All the production has meant that Webb has moved up the career rankings at Portland State within several categories. She's already broken the Division I program records for matches played (135) and sets played (489), and now ranks second in Division I history in kills (1,318), aces (146), points (1,602.0) and attempts (3,719). She also ranks tied for ninth in Division I history with a .240 hitting percentage.

MAK ATTACK

The Big Sky's Top Newcomer last year, Makayla Lewis has been an opposing team's nightmare since she joined the Vikings. One team has received the worst of it this season, and that's been Weber State. Lewis hit a season-high .517 in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of the Wildcats last Saturday, while posting a match-high 16 kills to go with eight digs and three aces. Lewis also recorded the match high in the Vikings' earlier win over the Wildcats, when she led all players with 17 kills on .351 hitting to go with 13 digs in another 3-0 sweep for the Vikings on Sept. 22. All told, Lewis has hit .300 or better while recording at least 10 kills in three of the team's last four matches. She had 16 kills on .452 hitting against Montana State on Oct. 6, then followed with 11 kills on .320 hitting against Montana on Oct. 8. All told, Lewis has five matches this season in which she's recorded at least 10 kills while hitting .300 or better. One of those came in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Oregon State on Aug. 27, their first win over the Beavers since 1990. Lewis finished with 14 kills on .324 hitting in the match, as she led the Vikings to their first big win of the season. She now ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 3.12 kills per set across all matches this season, and also stands eighth in the conference with 3.58 points per set.

ELLIE SNOOK – ALL-TIME LEADER IN CAREER DIGS

Ellie Snook made short work of her chase for the career record in digs at Portland State. Just four matches into Big Sky play, Snook passed Kasimira Clark for the career lead during the fifth set of the Vikings' win over Northern Arizona on Oct. 1. Snook needed 29 digs to pass Clark for the record going into the match, and came through with a season-high 31 to claim the record. Snook and Clark are a fitting 1-2 for the Vikings to have in the career record book for digs. Both players were named Big Sky Libero of the Year in back-to-back years, making them just two of five players in conference history to defend their Libero of the Year honor. Snook could be poised to make more history within the Big Sky record books, too. Snook passed Northern Arizona's Anna Gott (2009-12) and Southern Utah's Sariah Pelaez (2013-16) to move into fifth place all time this past weekend. She now needs 40 more digs to pass Sacramento State's Breanne Menees (2008-11) for fourth all time. With 91 more digs, Snook will become just the fourth player in conference history to reach the 2,000-dig milestone in their career. Snook has her name elsewhere in the Portland State record books, as well. She holds the career record for digs per set, and owns the record by some margin. Snook's 5.09 digs-per-set average is well ahead of Clark's average of 4.27 digs per set, which ranks second all time. Snook has also moved up the career rankings for aces, a season after she set the single-season school records for aces (50) and aces per set (0.42). Snook ranks fourth in Division I program history with 118 career aces, and will pass Sarah Sirianni (2003-06) for third with 11 more aces. Within this season, Snook ranks second in the Big Sky and 66th in the nation in digs per set (4.43), as well as sixth in aces per set (0.34).

LOVE FOR THE MIDDLES

The connection between setter Madison Friebel and middle blockers Ashleigh Barto and Ashlyn Blotzer has shown massive development over the team's last seven matches. Barto has hit .412 over the team's last seven matches while averaging 1.88 kills per set. She ranks third in the Big Sky with a .370 hitting percentage during the conference season, when she's twice topped .500 hitting while recording at least eight kills. Barto set a career high with a .647 hitting percentage to go with 12 kills in the Vikings' five-set comeback against Eastern Washington on Sept. 24. That's in stark contrast to her numbers through the team's first 12 matches when she averaged just 1.27 kills per set on .201 hitting. Blotzer has shown a similar spike in her numbers, especially last week when she averaged 3.00 kills per set on .517 hitting. Blotzer set a season high with 11 kills on .529 hitting in the team's 3-0 sweep of Idaho State last Thursday. She then followed with seven kills on .500 hitting against Weber State. The recent bump means she's averaged 1.96 kills per set on .324 hitting over the team's last seven matches, after averaging just 0.71 kills per set on .094 hitting through the team's first 12 matches.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

It was a familiar top three in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll. The Vikings were picked to finish third, the same spot they finished last season when they placed a game behind co-regular-season champions Northern Colorado and Weber State. Northern Colorado, which went on to win the Big Sky tournament last season, topped the poll with 78 points after receiving first-place votes from six of the other nine teams in the conference. Weber State finished second with 70 points and two first-place votes, while the Vikings finished third with 66 points and one first-place vote.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Oct. 15, 2022, Portland State 3, Weber State 0: The Vikings outhit the Wildcats .353-to-.186 while Makayla Lewis (16 kills), Sophia Meyers (15) and Parker Webb (12) all went into double figures. It was the Vikings' first win over the Wildcats in Ogden since 2015, as well as their first sweep in Ogden since 2012. It also completed the Vikings' first back-to-back road sweeps of Idaho State and Weber State since 2008.
Oct. 13, 2022, Portland State 3, Idaho State 0: The Vikings held Idaho State to .079 hitting, a season low both for a Viking opponent and for Idaho State. Four different Vikings recorded at least eight kills in the match, led by Ashlyn Blotzer who went into double figures for the first time with 11 kills on .529 hitting.
Oct. 8, 2022, Portland State 3, Montana 0: The Vikings hit a season-high .381 against the Grizzlies, while holding Montana to .118 hitting – the lowest mark for a Viking opponent this season. Parker Webb, Makayla Lewis and Sophia Meyers all finished in double figures for kills during the match while also hitting over .300.
Oct. 6, 2022, Portland State 3, Montana State 1: The Vikings moved into a tie for first in the Big Sky standings with a 3-1 win over Montana State. The win avenged a loss to the Bobcats last season that dropped them out of a tie for first and ultimately cost them a share of the Big Sky regular-season title.
Oct. 1, 2022, Portland State 3, Northern Arizona 2: The Vikings recorded their first win in Flagstaff since 2011 with a five-set win over the Lumberjacks. Ellie Snook broke the career record for digs during the fifth set of the match.
Sept. 24, 2022, Portland State 3, Eastern Washington 2: The Vikings recorded their first reverse sweep in a Big Sky road match since Nov. 6, 2010 while erasing a match point in the third set against the Eagles. The Vikings also hit over .300 for just the second time this season, as they outhit the Eagles .312-to-.176.
Sept. 22, 2022, Portland State 3, Weber State 0: The Vikings swept the two-time defending Big Sky regular-season champions in Weber State. They hit .239 against the Wildcats, which was the second-highest mark against the Wildcats this season at the time.
Sept. 17, 2022, Portland State 3, Seattle U 1: Parker Webb moved up to second in Division I program history in both career kills and career aces during the match. Sophia Meyers set a career high with 23 kills on a career-best .400 hitting percentage, while Webb set season highs for kills (18) and digs (11) while hitting .378.
Sept. 11, 2022, Portland State 3, Cal Poly 0: The Vikings set a season high for hitting percentage for the second straight match while also recording their second straight sweep. The Vikings hit .324 against the Mustangs while sixth-year senior Parker Webb set an individual season high with 15 kills on .619 hitting – only the second time she's hit over .600 while finishing with at least 12 kills in a match in her career.
Sept. 10, 2022, Portland State 3, North Texas 0: The Vikings recorded their first sweep of the season with a 3-0 win over North Texas. The Vikings hit a season-high .274 against the Mean Green while holding North Texas to .124 hitting themselves behind 10 blocks.
Sept. 2, 2022, Portland State 3, UTEP 2: The Vikings avenged a home loss to UTEP last season by beating the Miners at their home tournament, the Borderland Invitational. The victory gave the Vikings a win over a team that went 24-8 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Aug. 27, 2022, Portland State 3, Oregon State 1: The Vikings recorded their first win over Oregon State since 1990, as well as their first win over a Pac-12 opponent since 2017 by handling the Beavers at home. The Vikings had been just 5-43 all time against Pac-12 opponents since becoming a Division I program, but won their sixth match against the Beavers.

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