FIRST SERVE

With Thanksgiving coming up, it's a reminder to all of us that a little home cooking can cure all. If nothing else, a trip home can be a nice time to re-set, which is exactly what the Portland State volleyball hopes will be the case this weekend.
 
It's not like the Vikings have been drastically off in recent weeks, and yet they find themselves with a three-match losing streak. It's a puzzle to figure out how the Vikings got here. In an alternate reality, the set and match points the Vikings earned in both matches last weekend go the Vikings' way and they head home after a 2-0 road weekend at Montana and Montana State.
 
That's not the timeline we're living, however. In this timeline, Montana saved three set points between the first and second sets last Thursday en route to a 3-1 win. Montana State also saved two match points in the fourth set against the Vikings last Saturday before winning in five sets.
 
No trip through the quantum realm is going to reverse that for the Vikings, like it did in Avengers: Endgame. So, the Vikings will just have to make the best of it.
 
The Vikings wouldn't be the first team to have a late-season swoon only to come back and win either its conference's regular-season or tournament title. The regular-season title will require some help from other teams now. Weber State and Northern Colorado have one fewer loss than the Vikings now, and while they'll play each other this weekend, the Vikings would still need another team to beat the winner of that match.
 
But the most important thing for the Vikings to do from now until the start of the Big Sky tournament would be to right their own ship. That starts Thursday, when the Vikings host Idaho in the first of two matches at home this weekend.
 
The Vandals have had a tough go of things this season. They come into this weekend having won just one of their 12 Big Sky matches, with their lone win coming on the road against Northern Arizona on Oct. 22. The Vandals did push Montana to five sets on Oct. 29, but ultimately lost that match.
 
The Vikings rolled against the Vandals last season. They won in three sets on Sept. 30, 2021, while out-hitting the Vandals .398-to-.160. The .398 hitting percentage was the Vikings' best mark at the time since hitting .432 in a 3-0 sweep of Montana State on Sept. 29, 2016.
 
Thursday's match will be the lone meeting between the Vikings and Vandals again this season. Saturday's opponent – Eastern Washington – is a different story. The Vikings already faced the Eagles on the road back on Sept. 24, when they picked up one of their signature wins of the season. Down two sets to none and facing a match point in the third set, the Vikings completely turned the match around and won in five sets. It was the Vikings' first reverse sweep in a Big Sky road match since 2010.
 
That previous meeting will feature heavily in both teams' minds when they see each other again Saturday. For the Eagles, they'll want revenge, and they'll try to get it behind an offense that features two hitters averaging 3.00 kills per set or higher.
 
Sage Brustad ranks second in the Big Sky with 3.54 kills per set across all matches this season. Alyssa Radke, meanwhile, has led the Eagles in Big Sky play, as she ranks fourth in the conference with 3.57 kills per set against Big Sky opponents. No player outside of those two averages more than 2.00 kills per set this season.
 
The Vikings have the players to counter the Eagles offensively, however. Unlike the Eagles who only have two players averaging more than 3.00 kills per set in Big Sky play, the Vikings have three. Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb rank fifth and sixth in the conference, respectively, with 3.53 and 3.42 kills per set within Big Sky play. Sophia Meyers then follows them with 3.25 kills per set within the conference season, ranking her ninth in the Big Sky.
 
Lewis had a hot weekend in Montana despite the team's two losses. She averaged 4.33 kills per set on .287 hitting to go with 3.11 digs per set against the Grizzlies and Bobcats. Webb, meanwhile, has recorded at least 10 kills in six straight matches and 12 of the team's 13 Big Sky matches. The only match she missed was the team's 66-minute sweep of Idaho State on Oct. 13, and even then, she still finished with nine kills. Meyers, finally, has recorded double-doubles in seven of the team's 13 Big Sky matches this season, and was either a kill or a dig away in three other matches.
 
The question for the Vikings recently has been on the defensive side of the net. The team's last three opponents have all hit over .200 against the Vikings, after they had held 13 of their previous 14 opponents to under that mark. The .200 number appears to be the primary bellwether for the Vikings this season. They are 14-2 when they hold opponents to under .200 hitting and 0-8 when opponents hit above .200.
 
So, that will be the number to watch for the Vikings this season. Hold Idaho and Eastern Washington under that, and the Vikings will have likely righted their ship ahead of the Big Sky tournament.
 
And all it would have taken is a little home cooking.
 

PROMOTIONS

Saturdays' match, which is presented by OnPoint Community Credit Union, will also be Senior Day for the Vikings. The team will honor its seven seniors before the match. Those honored will include Ashlyn Blotzer, Kylie Komo, Makayla Lewis, Zoe McBride, Jasmine Powell, Ellie Snook and Parker Webb. The ceremony will begin at 6:47 p.m. while the match will start on time at 7:02 p.m.
 

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (14-10, 9-4) vs. IDAHO (4-20, 1-11)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Idaho Vandals have had a tough go of things this season. They've lost 11 of their 12 Big Sky matches this season, with their lone win coming on the road against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Vandals also had a close match against Montana on Oct. 29, when they pushed the Grizzlies to five sets before falling. The best weekend of the season for the Vandals came at the UniWyo Invite from Sept. 16-17 when the Vandals swept their matches at the tournament. Statistically, the Vandals' struggles in Big Sky play mean that they rank seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.181) as well as ninth in kills per set (11.2), assists per set (10.3) and aces per set (1.11) against conference opponents. Defensively, the Vandals rank last in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.260), ninth in digs per set (12.6) and fifth in blocks per set (2.30) within the Big Sky season. Individually, Travel Morris ranks second in the Big Sky with 1.21 blocks per set in conference matches. Morris also leads the Vandals in hitting percentage at .378, though she only averages 0.90 kills per set. Taryn Vrieling leads the Vandals with 2.85 kills per set across all matches this season. Allison Munday follows her with 2.54 kills per set, while Olivia Gloeckner averages 2.28 kills per set for the Vandals. Gloeckner also leads the Vandals with 0.27 aces per set. Defensively, Madison Wilson ranks second to Morris with 0.92 blocks per set across all matches this season. Libero Aine Doty averages 3.59 digs per set over the whole season, an average that ranks her ninth in the Big Sky Conference. Kate Doorn and Hailey Pelton have split duties in the Vandals' 6-2 formation, as they average 5.80 and 5.00 assists per set, respectively.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Vandals, 18-9. The Vikings have won two of their last three meetings against the Vandals, including a 3-0 road sweep on Sept. 30 last season. The Vandals still lead the Big Sky series between the two teams, 6-5, however.
 

MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (14-10, 9-4) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (9-15, 4-8)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles held a match point against the Vikings in the third set of their match on Sept. 24 earlier this season. Of course, the Vikings saved the match point while coming back to win in five sets – their first reverse sweep in a conference road match since 2010. That match will feature in both teams' minds when they face each other again Saturday. The Eagles won their very next match after that loss to the Vikings, as they beat Idaho in straight sets on the road. The Eagles also swept Idaho State at home on Oct. 8, and then followed that match with a four-set win over the Vandals on Oct. 14. The team's best win of the Big Sky season came on Oct. 28, when they beat Montana State in five sets at home. Statistically, the Eagles rank eighth in the Big Sky with a .180 hitting percentage within conference play, while they also rank seventh in kills per set (11.9) and assists per set (11.1). The best part of the Eagles' offense is their serving, as they rank fourth in the conference with 1.52 aces per set in conference play. Sage Brustad ranks fourth in the conference with 0.36 aces per set in Big Sky play, while she also ranks second in the Big Sky with 3.54 kills per set across all matches this season. Alyssa Radke leads the Eagles within Big Sky play, as she ranks fourth with 3.57 kills per set against conference opponents. No player outside of those two averages more than 2.00 kills per set this season. Renata Lopez Morales ranks seventh in the Big Sky with a .320 hitting percentage in conference play, while setter Lindsey Russell ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 9.73 assists per set in Big Sky play. Defensively, the Eagles rank ninth in the Big Sky with an opponent hitting percentage of .255 during the conference season. They also rank sixth in blocks per set (2.09) and 10th in digs per set (12.6). Individually, Lopez Morales leads the Eagles with 0.95 blocks per set across all matches this season, while MaKenna Collins averages a team-best 3.37 digs per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Eagles, 34-29. The Vikings have won two in a row against the Eagles, including a reverse sweep on the road on Sept. 24 earlier this season. The Eagles won the previous two matches, but the Vikings have won 19 of the past 22 meetings. The Eagles still lead the Big Sky series, 26-22, however.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings have dropped three games in a row after winning seven in a row at the start of October. The three-match losing streak is the longest of the season for the Vikings.
• The Vikings had set points in the first and second sets of their match against Montana last Thursday, only to lose both sets. The Vikings also had two match points in their loss at Montana State last Saturday. Win all of those set and match points against the Grizzlies and Bobcats, and the Vikings would have won both matches.
• The Vikings started Big Sky play 9-1 for their best start to conference play since they started 14-1 in 2012.
• The Vikings' last three opponents have all hit above .200 after the Vikings held 13 of their previous 14 opponents to under that mark. The Vikings are 0-8 when opponents hit above .200 this season and 14-2 when they hit below .200.
• Despite the team's recent stretch, the Viking offense still rank second in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.236), kills per set (14.1) and assists per set (13.2) against Big Sky opponents.
• Three different Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky while averaging at least 3.25 kills per set in conference play. Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb rank fifth and sixth, respectively, with 3.53 and 3.42 kills per set against Big Sky opponents. Sophia Meyers, meanwhile, ranks ninth with 3.25 kills per set. All three players have recorded at least 10 kills in the same match seven different times out of 13 Big Sky matches this season.
• Parker Webb has recorded 10+ kills in six straight matches and 12 of the team's 13 Big Sky matches. The only match in which she missed double figures was the Vikings' 66-minute sweep of Idaho State on Oct. 13, and she still totaled nine kills in that match.
• Makayla Lewis averaged 4.33 kills per set on .287 hitting to go with 3.11 digs, 0.44 blocks and 0.22 aces per set last weekend.
• Ellie Snook – the Vikings' career leader in digs as of the team's match at Northern Arizona on Oct. 1 – became just the fourth player to reach 2,000-career digs in conference history. Snook reached the milestone against Montana State last Saturday, putting her alongside Sacramento State's Kristin Lutes (2003-06), Idaho State's Haylie Keck (2016-19) and Montana State's Allyssa Rizzo (2016-19) as the only players in conference history to reach 2,000-career digs.
• Parker Webb leads the Big Sky and ranks 45th in the NCAA with 0.45 aces per set. She's one of three Vikings that rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for aces per set, as the Vikings lead the conference and rank 55th in the nation with 1.72 aces per set as a team. Besides Webb, Ellie Snook ranks fifth in the conference with 0.36 aces per set while Sophia Meyers ranks sixth with 0.35 aces per set.
• Setter Madison Friebel ranks second in the Big Sky with 11.4 assists per set against Big Sky opponents. She's twice recorded 50 assists during the conference season, and has been at 40 or above in eight of the team's 13 conference matches.
• Middle blocker Ashleigh Barto ranks eighth in the Big Sky with a .317 hitting percentage against conference opponents. Fellow middle blockers Ashlyn Blotzer and Morgan Halady have also hit .289 and .286, respectively, during Big Sky play.
• 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 (1,386), aces (152), points (1,681.5) and attempts (3,894). She also ranks ninth in hitting percentage at .241.
• The Vikings' loss to Montana State Saturday marked their first five-set loss this season. They're still 3-1 in five-set matches this season, with all four five-setters coming on the road.
• 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 110th in the latest RPI rankings, five spots ahead of Weber State at 115th, 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 FIREPOWER

The Viking offense jumped back over .200 hitting last weekend despite the team's back-to-back losses to Montana and Montana State. Held to under .200 in two of the previous three matches, the Vikings hit .262 against the Grizzlies last Thursday and then .215 against the Bobcats last Saturday. Overall this season, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.236), kills per set (14.1) and assists per set (13.2) in conference play. The Vikings rank highly in those categories thanks to a diversified attack led by setter Madison Friebel. Friebel ranks second in the Big Sky with 11.4 assists per set during the conference season, while her even distribution means that three different players rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky with at least 3.25 kills per set in conference matches. Makayla Lewis and Parker Webb ranks fifth and sixth, respectively, with 3.53 and 3.42 kills per set in conference play. Sophia Meyers follows those two at ninth with 3.25 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. Lewis ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 3.76 points per set across all matches, while Meyers and Webb rank right behind her at sixth and seventh, respectively, with 3.69 and 3.61 points per set.
 

ACE IN THE HOLE

A season after the Vikings recorded 209 aces – their most in a single season since 2005 – three different Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for aces per set. Parker Webb headlines the group as she leads the conference while ranking 45th in the NCAA with 0.45 aces per set this season. Ellie Snook also ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 0.36 aces per set, while Sophia Meyers ranks sixth with 0.35 aces per set. Webb has averaged a conference-best 0.48 aces per set in Big Sky play, a tenth more than any other player in the conference. As a team, the Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 55th in the nation with 1.72 aces per set. Webb's average of 0.45 aces per set across all matches would set a new single-season program record if the season ended today. Snook set the previous record last season, when she averaged 0.42 aces per set. Webb and Snook have rewritten the career record book this season, as well, as they now rank second and fourth all time, respectively, within the program's Division I era. Webb ranks second in Division I history with 152 career aces, while Snook ranks fourth with 126 career aces.
 

WHY ARE YOU SO DEFENSIVE, BRO?

Holding teams under .200 hitting seems to be the biggest bellwether of success for the Vikings this season. Opponents have hit over .200 in all three of the team's recent losses, after the Vikings held 13 of their previous 14 opponents to under that mark. All told, the Vikings 14-2 when they hold opponents to under .200 hitting and 0-8 when opponents hit above .200. Statistically, the Vikings lead the Big Sky with 16.5 digs per set in conference play, while they also rank fourth in the conference with an opponent hitting percentage of .184. At least four players have recorded 10+ digs in four of the team's last five matches. Those four are usually the same four Vikings that are all averaging at least 2.67 digs per set during Big Sky play. Libero Ellie Snook leads the group with 5.17 digs per set against Big Sky opponents, while Sophia Meyers (2.92 d/s), Makayla Lewis (2.83 d/s) and Madison Friebel (2.67 d/s) join her. Snook also leads the conference with 4.64 digs per set across all matches this season, an average that ranks her 48th in the NCAA.
 

MAK ATTACK

The Big Sky's Top Newcomer last year, Makayla Lewis has been an opposing team's nightmare since she joined the Vikings. Lewis has been a particular bother to opposing teams recently. She averaged 4.33 kills per set on .287 hitting to go with 3.11 digs per set last week. She tied her season high with 20 kills on .349 hitting in the Vikings' match against Montana last Thursday, and followed up with her first 15-15 match of the season Saturday, recording 19 kills and 16 digs against the Montana State. Lewis has recorded at least 15 kills in six of the team's 13 Big Sky matches this season, including both of the Vikings' matches against Weber State and Montana State. She leads the Vikings with 3.33 kills per set this season after her recent hot streak. That average ranks her fifth in the Big Sky, while she also ranks fifth in the conference in points per set (3.76). Lewis has six 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.
 

WEBB SLINGER

Spider-Man, or Spider-Woman, in our universe goes by the name of Parker Webb. Not Peter Parker. Parker Webb has recorded at least 10 kills in six straight matches and 12 of the team's 13 Big Sky matches. The only match in which she missed 10+ kills was the team's 66-minute sweep of Idaho State on Oct. 13, and she still had nine kills in that match. She heads into this weekend ranked sixth in the Big Sky with 3.42 kills per set in conference play. 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. But Webb's contributions haven't just been in terms of kills. She's also been the toughest server within the conference this season. Webb leads the Big Sky and ranks 45th in the nation with 0.45 aces per set, an average that would break teammate Ellie Snook's single-season school record of 0.42 aces per set if the season ended today. Additionally, Webb's production from all facets of the game has meant that she's moved up the career rankings at Portland State within several categories this season. She's already broken the Division I program records for matches played (140) and sets played (508), and now ranks second in Division I history in kills (1,386), aces (152), points (1,681.5) and attempts (3,894). She also ranks ninth in Division I history with a .241 career hitting percentage.
 

SOPHIA MANIA

One-third of the Vikings' three-headed monster on offense, Sophia Meyers has recorded double-doubles in seven of the team's 13 Big Sky matches this season, and was either a kill or a dig away in three other matches. Meyers leads the team with 12 double-doubles overall, as she ranks second on the team in both kills per set (3.23) and digs per set (2.93). Across all matches this season, Meyers has totaled at least 10+ kills in 17 of the team's 24 matches, while she's recorded 10+ digs in 17 of the 24 matches. And if two stat categories weren't enough for her, Meyers has also been on fire from the service line this season. She recorded a career-high five aces in the Vikings' win over the Hornets on Oct. 22, and now ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 0.35 aces per set. Meyers now ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in three different categories. In addition to ranking sixth in aces per set, Meyers also ranks sixth in both kills per set (3.23) and points per set (3.69).
 

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, sure enough, she came through with a season-high 31 to claim the record. Since becoming the Vikings' career leader, Snook has continued to move up the career rankings within the Big Sky Conference. She became just the fourth player in conference history to record 2,000-career digs, joining Sacramento State's Kristin Lutes (2355 digs from 2003-06), Idaho State's Haylie Keck (2,206 digs from 2016-19) and Montana State's Allyssa Rizzo (2,122 digs from 2016-19). She still could conceivably pass Rizzo this season, as she only needs 111 more digs to pass her for third in conference history. 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 5.11 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 126 career aces, and will pass Sarah Sirianni (2003-06) for third with three more aces. Within this season, Snook leads the Big Sky and ranks 48th in the nation with 4.64 digs per set. She also ranks fifth in the conference with 0.36 aces per set.
 

WE'RE ALL MAD FOR MADI

Setter Madison Friebel, a newcomer from Butler, has made quite the splash in her short time with the Vikings. She's twice been named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week as she has led the Viking offense to some of the best statistical performances within the Big Sky Conference. With Friebel at the helm, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.236), kills per set (14.1) and assists per set (13.2) in Big Sky play. Individually, Friebel ranks second in the conference with 11.4 assists per set against Big Sky opponents. She has two 50-assist matches within Big Sky play, while she's topped 40 assists in eight of the team's 13 conference matches. Her distribution also means that three different Vikings rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for kills and poper set in conference matches between Makayla Lewis (5th, 3.53 k/s), Parker Webb (6th, 3.42 kills per set) and Sophia Meyers (9th, 3.25 k/s). Those three also all rank in the top 10 for points per set.
 

LOVE FOR THE MIDDLES

The connection between setter Madison Friebel and middle blockers Ashleigh Barto and Ashlyn Blotzer has been a key part of the Vikings' success in conference play. Barto ranks eighth in the Big Sky with a .317 hitting percentage in conference matches, while Blotzer has hit .289 in Big Sky play. Morgan Halady has also come in and given the Vikings a lift recently, as she has hit .286 in that role. The in-form numbers during conference play mark a sign of progress for Friebel and the team's middle blockers. Barto was hitting just .218 before the start of Big Sky play, while Blotzer was even lower down at .099. Both players have posted huge matches within Big Sky play, too. Barto recorded 12 kills on .647 hitting in the Vikings' five-set comeback against Eastern Washington on Sept. 24. Blotzer, meanwhile, set a season high with 11 kills on .529 hitting in the team's 3-0 sweep of Idaho State on Oct. 13. Halady set her career highs for kills (3), blocks (5.0) and points (6.5) in the Vikings' match at Montana State last Saturday.
 

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

Nov. 5, 2022, Montana State 3, Portland State 2: Despite the team's loss, Ellie Snook became just the fourth player in Big Sky Conference history to reach the 2,000-dig milestone during the match. Snook joined Sacramento State's Kristin Lutes (2003-06), Idaho State's Haylie Keck (2016-19) and Montana State's Allyssa Rizzo (2016-19) as players who have hit the 2k milestone.
Oct. 27, 2022, Portland State 3, Northern Arizona 0: The Vikings recorded their seventh straight win with a 3-0 sweep of the Lumberjacks. The win tied the Vikings' longest winning streak since the team won 10 matches in a row in 2013.
Oct. 22, 2022, Portland State 3, Sacramento State 1: The Vikings beat the second-ranked Hornets to improve to 8-1 in Big Sky play, their best start to the conference season since 2012.
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.