PORTLAND, Ore. — The 2021 volleyball season saw the Portland State Vikings record their first 20-win season since 2017 and also record their first postseason win at a national tournament during their Division I era. Hopefully, that hasn't made Viking volleyball fans numb to history because the 2022 season promises more this fall.
 
The 2022 schedule, released Wednesday, features matches against the three other Division I institutions in the state in Oregon, Oregon State and the University of Portland. It's the first time since 2005 that the Vikings will play all three programs in the same season. Additionally, the Vikings will host Oregon and Oregon State as part of the team's opening tournament of the season, the first time since 2010 that the Vikings will host both programs in the same season.
 
"We all have a responsibility to raise awareness and grow the game in Oregon. I absolutely love the fact that we will see all three opposing Oregon opponents this fall," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said of the team's schedule.
 
"We will learn a lot about the capabilities of this team, and we will give the newcomers an opportunity to measure up against some of the strongest competition in the Northwest. This team is experienced and hungry. We had a great off-season, and that has given us the confidence to schedule very tough for the opening weekend."
 
The banger of an opening tournament – the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown – sees the Vikings open against Long Beach State on Aug. 26, before playing Oregon State and Oregon on back-to-back days on Aug. 27 and 28.
 
The Vikings then hit the road the following weekend for their lone out-of-state trip during their non-conference schedule. The Vikings head to UTEP for matches against South Dakota (Sept. 2), UTEP (Sept. 2) and New Mexico in El Paso.
 
The Vikings remain on the road for four of their final five non-conference matches, but all four will be back in the state of Oregon.
 
"Our strategy was to stay close to home while going after a significantly strong RPI tournament, which we will accomplish by traveling to UTEP," Seemann said of the Vikings' travel plans during their non-conference schedule. "Hosting the Oregon Schools will give us an opportunity to compete against a couple of Pac-12 schools on our home floor while traveling to OSU and UP allows us to manage our time on the road and give our team an opportunity to compete without the stress and challenges presented when traveling."
 
The Vikings play Utah State and North Texas in a pair of neutral-site matches at Oregon State on Sept. 9 and 10, respectively. The Vikings return home to play Cal Poly the next day, Sept. 11, before wrapping up their non-conference play with two matches at the University of Portland's Chiles Center the following weekend. The Vikings play the Pilots on Sept. 15, and then face Seattle University in a neutral-site match on Sept. 17.
 
Big Sky matches start the following week, as the Vikings open conference play with a match against rival Weber State on Sept. 22. The Big Sky released its conference schedule back in January with teams slated to play a 16-match league season over eight-plus weeks. Southern Utah will drop out of the Big Sky Conference this summer, meaning all conference volleyball teams will play seven teams twice and two teams once during league play. Portland State will face Idaho State and Idaho once each this fall, playing Idaho State on the road on Oct. 13 before hosting Idaho at home on Nov. 10. The Vikings will face all other conference teams both home and away.
 
The conference season was also extended a week in 2022. Teams will now wrap up conference play the weekend before Thanksgiving, with the conference tournament pushed to the holiday weekend. The change means there will no longer be any matches on Tuesday, a quirk of the conference's previous schedules that would see some teams play three times in a week. All matches this fall will be over the weekend.
 
"I like the fact that the current schedule model prioritizes the health of our student-athletes from an impact and travel perspective," Seemann said of the new conference schedule. "We hope to see this schedule through a few years so that we cycle through the teams that we do not see home or away this year. 
 
In addition to the counting matches, the Vikings will also play an exhibition against Central Washington on Aug. 20 at Viking Pavilion. Tickets for all Portland State volleyball matches will go on sale this July.
 
Portland State's full 2022 volleyball season can be viewed here.