FIRST SERVE

Simply put, if you're a volleyball fan in the state of Oregon, there's no other place to be this weekend than Viking Pavilion. With three of the state's four NCAA Division I programs in attendance, along with five-time national champion Long Beach State, the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown, Aug. 26-28, makes scheduling for the weekend easy.
 
The Portland State volleyball team plays host to 19th-ranked Oregon, Oregon State and Long Beach State for the tournament, which gets underway Friday at 11 a.m. when Oregon State and Long Beach State square off in a neutral-site match. It's the first time the Vikings have hosted Oregon and Oregon State in the same season since 2010, and the first time in the program's Division I history that they've hosted them on the same weekend.
 
The Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown offers more than just a showcase of the state's teams, however. It also promises to be a showcase for volleyball itself. The Vikings certainly could have scheduled an easier opening weekend, but they'll embrace the challenge of facing the 19th-ranked Ducks, a potentially resurgent traditional power in Long Beach State, and another Pac-12 program in Oregon State.
 
The Vikings would appear readier for such a challenge than the past few years, as they have some clout behind them after a 20-win season last fall. The Vikings return five starters off last year's team, including all three All-Big Sky first-team selections in Makayla Lewis, Ellie Snook and Parker Webb. Lewis and Snook picked up individual honors, as well, as Lewis was named the conference's Top Newcomer, while Snook received her second straight Big Sky Libero of the Year honor.
 
The goal for the Vikings is to go beyond just their returning starters, however. Head coach Michael Seemann has stated repeatedly that the team's goal is to not only have the best team within the Big Sky Conference, but the second-best team. The emphasis in the early season will be on development, then, meaning the Vikings will go deeper to their bench at the tournament.
 
At Saturday's exhibition against Central Washington, all 16 dressed players appeared in the match for the Vikings. Fourteen of the 16 played in at least two sets. Five different players had at least seven kills in the match, led by Lewis who had a double-double of 13 kills and 11 digs while hitting .281. Six players also recorded at least three blocks in the match, including three with five in middle blockers Ashlyn Blotzer, Ashleigh Barto and Morgan Halady.
 
This weekend's opponents will test the Vikings' depth in ways that Central Washington couldn't, though, starting with Long Beach State, the Vikings' opening opponent Friday at 6 p.m. The Beach enters its first year under new head coach Tyler Hildebrand this season. Hildebrand is familiar with Long Beach State from his time as a three-time first-team All-American for the men's team, and brings experience at the highest level of coaching within the women's game, having spent three seasons at Nebraska. Hildebrand was the associate head coach for Nebraska last season when the Cornhuskers made the national championship match before falling to Wisconsin.
 
Hildebrand has reshaped Long Beach State's roster in his short time at the school. He's brought in several potential impact transfers from other Division I programs in Callie Schwarzenbach (Nebraska), Zayna Meyer (BYU), Morgan Chacon (Florida State), Savana Chacon (Purdue), Victoria O'Sullivan (San Diego State), Jayden Nembhard (Kansas State) and Natalie Glenn (Minnesota). Meyer was named to the Big West Preseason Team along with returner Katie Kennedy.
 
Oregon State, the Vikings' opponent Saturday (6 p.m. start), has the youngest team in the tournament with 15 of their 16 players being either freshmen or sophomores. The Beavers had 13 freshmen last season when they went 5-25 overall and 3-17 in Pac-12 play. One of those freshmen, Kateryna Tkachenko, stands as the Beavers' top returning hitter from a year ago after she averaged 3.17 kills per set in her first collegiate season. Setter Izzi Szulczewski, also a freshman last season, returns after leading the Beavers with 8.77 assists per set in 2021.
 
The Ducks will likely be the most known quantity at the tournament, as they return several standouts from a year ago when they went 22-9 and made the NCAA tournament. Brooke Nuneviller – a two-time AVCA second-team All-American – returns for the Ducks after averaging 3.96 kills and 3.19 digs per set last season when she was also named the AVCA Pacific North Region Player of the Year.
 
Nuneviller was joined by Hannah Pukis on the Preseason All-Pac 12 team this fall. Pukis transferred to the Ducks after playing three seasons at Washington State, where she was a two-time AVCA Pacific North All-Region player, as well as a two-time All-Pac-12 performer. Additionally, Pukis and returning libero Georgia Murphy each earned AVCA honorable mention All-American honors last season.
 
Karson Bacon joined Nuneviller on the All-Pac-12 team last season after she led the Pac-12 while also ranking 10th in the NCAA in hitting percentage. Bacon hit .420 last season while averaging 1.89 kills per set. Gloria Mutiri, meanwhile, joined Murphy as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention after averaging 2.14 kills per set on .260 hitting.
 
The Vikings wrap up the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown against the Ducks, as the two teams face each other at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28. That could be the match that breaks the attendance record at Viking Pavilion, if it hasn't already been broken earlier in the weekend. The Vikings set the current record in the last counting match they played in the building, as 463 fans attended Senior Night against Montana on Nov. 13, 2021.
 
It's possible that all three of the Vikings' matches this weekend will surpass that number. It just depends on how many of the state's volleyball fans show up this weekend. They know where they should be at least. Viking Pavilion.
 

HOTEL VANCE ROSE CITY SHOWDOWN TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Aug. 26 - 11 a.m. - Oregon State (home) vs. Long Beach State (away) - Live Stats
Aug. 26 - 6 p.m. Portland State (vs. Long Beach State - Live Stats | Live Video
Aug. 27 - 2 p.m. - Oregon (home) vs. Long Beach State (away) - Live Stats
Aug. 27 - 6 p.m. - Portland State vs. Oregon State - Live Stats | Live Video
Aug. 28 - 1 p.m. - Portland State vs. Oregon - Live Stats | Live Video
 

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (0-0) vs. LONG BEACH STATE (0-0)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Aug. 26, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE: Long Beach State enters its first season under new head coach Tyler Hildebrand this season. Hildebrand was a three-time first-team All-American for the Long Beach State men's team, and spent three years on the coaching staff at powerhouse Nebraska. Hildebrand was the associate head coach for the Nebraska women last season, when they finished as national runners-up to Wisconsin. Hildebrand brought in several potential impact transfers from other Division I programs in Callie Schwarzenbach (Nebraska), Zayna Meyer (BYU), Morgan Chacon (Florida State), Savana Chacon (Purdue), Victoria O'Sullivan (San Diego State), Jayden Nembhard (Kansas State) and Natalie Glenn (Minnesota). Meyer and returner Katie Kennedy were named to the eight-member Big West Conference Preseason Coaches Team, while the Beach were picked to finish fourth in the conference as a team. Meyer, a 6-1 setter from Wheaton, Ill., was the 40th-ranked overall prospect nationally in 2021 according to PrepVolleyball.com before redshirting last season while at BYU. Kennedy, meanwhile, earned Big West All-First Team honors last season as a sophomore when she averaged 2.54 kills per set to rank third on the team. Kashauna Williams also made the Big West All-First Team for the Beach last season after leading the Big West with 4.04 kills per set but transferred to Penn State during the offseason. The Beach won their final six matches of a 16-15 campaign last season, when they finished tied for fifth in the Big West Conference at 10-10 in league play. Kennedy marks the Beach's top returning hitter from that team, while Tia Chavira (9.04 assists per set) and Nicole Hoff (3.80 digs per set) mark the top returning performers in their categories.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Long Beach State leads its series with the Vikings, 4-2. The Beach have won the past two matches, including a 3-0 win on its home floor on Sept. 4 last fall. The Vikings' last win came in their 2018 season opener on Aug. 24, which was the first-ever counting match at Viking Pavilion.
 

MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (0-0) vs. OREGON STATE (0-0)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | TV: KRCW
DETAILS: Saturday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING OREGON STATE: The Oregon State Beavers were picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 Conference this season thanks to a young roster that features only one upperclassman. The Beavers' roster features five freshmen and 10 sophomores on their 16-player roster, as setter Inna Balyko stands as the lone senior. The youthful Beavers had 13 freshmen last season when they went 5-25 overall and 3-17 in Pac-12 Conference play. The Beavers' three Pac-12 wins came via a season sweep of California, and a 3-1 win at home over Arizona State in the team's penultimate match of the season. Maddie Goings led the Beavers with 3.48 kills per set last season but graduated following the year. Kateryna Tkachenko stands as the Beavers' top returning hitter from last season after she averaged 3.17 kills per set as a freshman. Setter Izzi Szulczewski, another freshman last season, returns after leading the Beavers with 8.77 assists per set in 2021. Szulczewski also stands as the Beavers' returning leader for digs per set (2.51), after senior libero Grace Massey graduated following the 2021 season. Last year's Beavers were best on the defensive side of the game, as they ranked fourth in the Pac-12 with 14.20 digs per set and eighth with 2.12 blocks per set. At the same time, opponents hit .257 against the Beavers last season which ranked Oregon State last in the Pac-12.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Beavers, 32-11, though all but seven of those matches were played before 1991. The Beavers have won all seven matches since then, including a 3-0 win in the team's last meetup at the 2018 Rose City Showdown at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings' last win in the series came on Oct. 30, 1990, when the Vikings beat the Beavers, 3-0.
 

MATCH #3: PORTLAND STATE (0-0) vs. #19 OREGON (0-0)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Sunday, Aug. 28, 1 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING #19 OREGON: Preseason expectations are high for the Oregon Ducks, as they were ranked 19th in the AVCA Preseason Poll, and were also picked to finish fourth – behind No. 8 Washington, No. 14 Stanford and No. 12 UCLA, respectively – in the Pac-12 Conference. Brooke Nuneviller and Hannah Pukis earned Preseason All-Pac-12 honors, individually. Nuneviller enters her senior season as a two-time AVCA second-team All-American, having earned the honor following each of the past two seasons. She was the AVCA Pacific North Region Player of the Year last season when she averaged 3.96 kills and 3.19 digs per set for the Ducks. Pukis, meanwhile, enters her first season with the Ducks after playing three seasons for Washington State. Pukis was a two-time AVCA Pacific North All-Region player at Washington State, where she was also a two-time All-Pac-12 performer and was an AVCA honorable mention All-American following the 2021 spring season. Pukis ranked fifth in the Pac-12 with 10.3 assists per set last season at Washington State. Libero Georgia Murphy ranked fourth in the Pac-12 with 4.29 digs per set for the Ducks while earning honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 and AVCA All-American teams. Karson Bacon joined Nuneviller on last season's All-Pac-12 team after she led the conference while also ranking 10th in the NCAA in hitting percentage. Bacon hit .420 while averaging 1.89 kills per set in 2021. Gloria Mutiri joined Murphy as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention after averaging 2.14 kills per set on .260 hitting. As a team, the Ducks led the Pac-12 with 15.52 digs per set, and also ranked third in the conference with 2.41 blocks per set. The Ducks led the Pac-12 with an opponent hitting percentage of .181 last season.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Ducks, 27-22, though the Ducks have won 17 of the teams' past 18 matches dating back to 1988. The Vikings lone recent win came in 2005, when the Vikings beat the Ducks, 3-1, at home on Sept. 8. The Ducks beat the Vikings 3-0 in both teams' season opener last season down in Eugene.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• 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.
• The Vikings are 5-43 all time against Pac-12 opponents since becoming a Division I program before the 1996 season. The Vikings last beat a Pac-12 program on Sept. 2, 2017, when they beat Arizona State, 3-1, at the Gonzaga Invitational.
• The Vikings are 0-29 all time against AVCA Top 25 teams. The Vikings played two ranked opponents last season in then-No. 14 Oregon and then-No. 18 UCLA, losing 3-0 both times.
• The Vikings will host Oregon and Oregon State this weekend, the first time they'll host both in-state Pac-12 programs since 2010. With a match against the University of Portland later during the non-conference schedule, the Vikings will play all three of the other in-state NCAA Division I programs for the first time since 2005.
• The Vikings led the Big Sky with 16.8 digs per set as a team last season, while Ellie Snook topped the conference individually with 5.14 digs per set. The Viking defense also ranked second in the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage (.181), and stood fourth with 2.16 blocks per set.
• The Vikings' 209 aces last season were their most since 2005. Ellie Snook set a single-season program record with 50 aces individually.
• Ellie Snook needs only five digs this weekend to pass Sarah Sirianni (2003-06) for third on the all-time digs list at Portland State.
• Parker Webb needs only 12 more kills this weekend to pass Hannah Long (1996-98) for third on the all-time kills list at Portland State. She needs 75 more kills to pass Richell Wilson (2000-03) for second.
• 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 spring 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 largest crowd in the short history of Viking Pavilion was 463 when the Vikings hosted Montana for Senior Day last season on Nov. 13, 2021. The largest single-match home crowd in program history was 2,550 when the Vikings hosted Cal State Northridge in the NCAA Division II championship match – which the Vikings won, 3-0 – on Dec. 8, 1984.

 

ACE IN THE HOLE

A perennial point of emphasis for head coach Michael Seemann, the serve served the Vikings well last season. The Vikings totaled 209 aces as a team, their highest total since they had 221 in 2005. Ellie Snook led the way with a single-season program-record 50 aces during the season, but she wasn't alone as five other Vikings recorded at least 20 aces. Parker Webb was second on the team with 36 aces, while Zoe McBride had 33. Behind them, Makayla Lewis, Ashleigh Barto and Ally Wada finished with 29, 22 and 21 aces, respectively. Overall, the Vikings ranked third in the Big Sky with 1.76 aces per set as a team, while Snook ranked third individually with 0.42 aces per set.
 

ELLIE SNOOK – CAREER RECORD CHASE

Ellie Snook joined elite company last season when she became just the fifth player in Big Sky history to be named Big Sky Libero of the Year in back-to-back years. Now, she turns her sights on the Portland State career record for digs, something she could reach this season if she maintains her level of production over the first three years of her career. Snook currently stands fourth in program history with 1,599 career digs. With five this weekend, she'll pass Sarah Sirianni (2003-06) for third. Kasimira Clark (2011-14) holds the school record with 1,851 digs, just 352 ahead of Snook's total entering the season. For context, Snook has totaled over 600 digs in each of her two full seasons at Portland State (her sophomore season was the pandemic-shortened 2021 spring season). If she has a comparable season this year, then she would pass Clark for the record sometime in the middle third of the season. Snook already holds the career record for digs per set, and owns the record by some margin. Snook's 5.24 digs-per-set average is well ahead of Clark's average of 4.27 digs per set, which ranks second all time.
 

MAK ATTACK

The Big Sky's Top Newcomer last year, Makayla Lewis has a tough act to follow in her second year with the Vikings. She would appear up for it, however, especially considering how she finished last season. Lewis was at her best in Big Sky play, when she averaged 3.55 kills and 2.95 digs per set. Nine of Lewis' 14 double-doubles last season came during Big Sky play, including eight in the team's final 12 conference matches of the season. Lewis finished the season ranked sixth in the Big Sky in both kills per set (3.23) and points per set (3.72) in all matches. Her career high came in the Vikings' five-set win over Grand Canyon on Sept. 10, when she posted 25 kills on .302 hitting to go with 12 digs. Lewis averaged 4.08 kills, 2.31 digs, 0.54 aces and 0.69 blocks per set during the Vikings' three matches at the PDX Classic from Sept. 9-11 last season.
 

WEBB SLINGER

Spider-Man, or Spider-Woman, in our universe goes by the name of Parker Webb. Not Peter Parker. Parker Webb had her best season as a Viking last season, earning All-Big Sky first-team honors after ranking eighth in the Big Sky in points per set (3.58) and 10th in kills per set (3.02). For a time, Webb was the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 for both kills per set and hitting percentage, as she also hit .271 last year. In addition to the all-conference first team, Webb made the conference's all-tournament team last season after averaging 3.44 kills per set on .373 hitting in the team's two matches at the tournament. Webb led the Vikings with 16 kills on .293 hitting as the team avenged two losses to Sacramento State during the regular season with a five-set win to open the tournament. Earlier in the season, Webb earned Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career following last year's edition of the Rose City Showdown. Webb averaged 4.67 kills, 2.33 digs, 0.92 blocks, 0.42 aces and 5.58 points per set while hitting .385 at the tournament and leading the Vikings to a 3-0 record over the weekend. From a career perspective, Webb ranks fourth in Division I program history with 1,128 career kills. She needs only 12 more kills this weekend to pass Hannah Long (1996-98) for third, and just 75 more kills to pass Richell Wilson (2000-03) for second. Jessica Brodie (2003-05) holds the Division I career record with 1,533 career kills.
 

NO LONGER A MCBRIDESMAID, NOW A MCBRIDE

Back for a fifth year, Zoe McBride was a defensive force for the Vikings last season. McBride had 12 matches with 10+ digs last season, and the Vikings went 10-2 in those matches. McBride has 37 double-doubles for her career, giving her the most of any current Viking. McBride was at her best at last season's Rose City Showdown, recording three straight double-doubles as the Vikings went 3-0 at the tournament. McBride set season highs for kills (15) and digs (19) in the Vikings' four-set win over Gonzaga at the tournament. She posted her most efficient match against Idaho on Sept. 30, when she recorded 11 kills on only 19 swings to hit .579 while adding 12 digs in the match.
 

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.