Complete match notes (PDF)
 

FIRST SERVE

The Portland State volleyball team's road heavy start to Big Sky play wraps up this weekend, as the Vikings play at Eastern Washington and Idaho this Thursday and Saturday. The matches will be the Vikings' third and fourth road matches out of their first conference contests, before they return home for their next four in a row.
 
The road has been an up-and-down place for the Vikings this season. They opened with three straight road losses to start the season, then seemed to break through with road wins at Oregon State and Idaho State. The road victory over the Beavers on Sept. 14 was the program's first road win over the Beavers since 1986, as well as their first road sweep since 1980.
 
The Vikings slipped a bit on the road last Friday, however, losing at Sacramento State. The first three sets were all decided by two points, so the Vikings weren't out of the match by any means, but the Hornets held them to .142 hitting – their second-lowest mark of the season – while recording 18.0 blocks, a season high for a Viking opponent.
 
The one thing that remained for the Vikings against the Hornets was the team's serving. After they opened with just eight aces over their first three road matches of the season, they've recorded 26 total aces over their last three for an average of 2.36 per set.
 
The team has 29 aces in their first three Big Sky matches, giving them an average of 2.42 per set over the first two weekends of the conference season. Sophia Meyers has eight aces within Big Sky play, while Gabby Hollins and Lauryn Anderson have six each as all three average at least 0.50 per set against conference opponents.
 
The strong start to Big Sky play means the Vikings now lead the Big Sky while ranking 23rd nationally with 1.94 aces per set across all matches this season. Meyers leads the conference individually while ranking 30th nationally with 0.51 aces per set. Anderson ranks second on the team with 16 total aces (0.32 per set), while Hollins and Kate Hansen have 13 and 10 aces, respectively. Madison Friebel has eight aces despite missing the team's first seven matches of the season, giving her an average of 0.33 per set.
 
Serving well this weekend should lead to advantages in other respects. Hitting a high percentage should be one, which has been key to the Vikings' victories all season. The Vikings are 9-0 when they hit .200+ this season, but 0-5 when they hit below .200.
 
Fortunately, the Vikings have been a strong team offensively more times than not this season. Before the Vikings' match against the Hornets, they had been hitting .281 with 13.4 kills per set over their previous five matches, all of which were wins. The Vikings topped .300 in two of those five matches and hit .299 in one of the other three.
 
Meyers and Hollins have been a reliable 1-2 punch for the Vikings. Meyers ranks third in the Big Sky in both kills (3.71) and points (4.44) per set this season in addition to leading the conference in ace per set (0.51) and ranking 10th in digs per set (3.08). Hollins, meanwhile, has recorded 14 or more kills in each of the team's last four matches, giving her an average of 3.81 per set during that stretch. For the season, Hollins ranks fourth in the conference with 3.57 kills per set, while she stands fifth with 3.98 points per set.
 
Eastern Washington will provide a good challenge for the Vikings offense, as the Eagles are a strong blocking team as well as a strong serving team. The Vikings struggled against the Hornets' block last Friday, so they'll need to be on their game come Thursday as the Eagles enter the match ranked third in the Big Sky with 2.14 blocks per set. Bri Gunderson leads the Eagles with 0.91 blocks per set, ranking her ninth in the Big Sky this season. Tanai Jenkins has only played in 22 of the Eagles' 58 sets this season, but ranks second on the team with 0.86 blocks per set.
 
Offensively, the Eagles' strong serving means they rank third in the Big Sky with 1.74 aces per set. Sage Brustad leads the Eagles with 0.47 aces per set individually, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky and 63rd nationally. Brustad also leads the offense at the net, as she averages 3.88 kills per set, ranking her second in the Big Sky and in the top 50 nationally.
 
Saturday's opponent, Idaho, has had a tougher start to the season than the Eagles. They've dropped 15 of their first 16 matches so far, including all four Big Sky contests. A bright spot for the Vandals has been sophomore libero Aine Doty, who leads the conference while ranking in the top 50 nationally with 4.62 digs per set.
 
The Vandals are young across the board this season, as they have 15 underclassmen on their 18-player roster between nine freshmen and six sophomores.
 
Saturday's road match will come earlier in the day, as first serve between the Vikings and Vandals is scheduled for 1 p.m. It'll be a quick transition for the Vikings after Thursday's match against the Eagles, which starts at 6 p.m., but at least lends itself to the Vikings getting home to Portland earlier.
 
After four of five on the road to start Big Sky play, the Vikings will take every chance they can to get home earlier. And if the return journey comes after two road wins, it'll seem even shorter.
 

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (9-5, 2-1) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (7-9, 1-3)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m. PT, Cheney, Wash. (Reese Court)
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles have opened Big Sky play 1-3, losing to Northern Colorado, Montana and Weber State all in three sets, while beating Idaho State in four sets. The Eagles went 6-6 during non-conference play. Two of their six wins came over Gonzaga, while another came in five sets on the road against the Vikings' cross-town rival the University of Portland. The Eagles and Vikings shared a common non-conference opponent in San Diego State, which the Vikings beat while the Eagles lost to, both in three sets. This season marks the Eagles' second year under head coach Jon Haruguchi, who had a successful six-year run as an assistant and associate head coach for Northern Colorado. Statistically, the Eagles have been a strong serving and blocking team so far this season. They rank third in the Big Sky Conference in both categories, averaging 1.74 aces and 2.14 blocks per set. Individually, senior Sage Brustad leads the offense with 3.88 kills per set, an average that ranks her second in the Big Sky and in the top 50 nationally. Brustad also leads the team from the service line as her 0.47 aces per set rank her fourth in the Big Sky and 63rd nationally. Freshman Kalista Lukovich ranks second on the team with 2.49 kills per set, while Bri Gunderson (1.86) and Sadie Bacon (1.66) follow her. Serving-wise, Kate Hatch, a graduate transfer setter from Northern Arizona, ranks second on the team with 0.36 aces per set, while junior libero Makenna Collins ranks third with 0.28 per set. Gunderson leads the team with 0.91 blocks per set, ranking her ninth in the Big Sky this season. Tanai Jenkins has only played in 22 of the Eagles' 58 sets this season, but ranks second on the team with 0.86 blocks per set. Bacon stands third on the team with 0.78 blocks per set. Collins leads the team with 3.95 digs per set, while Brustad (2.78), Lukovich (2.54) and Hatch (2.45) give the Eagles four players with at least 2.45 digs per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Eagles, 35-30. The teams have split their last six matches against each other, 3-3. The Vikings have won their last two matches at Reese Court, however, including a reverse sweep against the Eagles on Sept. 24 last season. The Vikings also won their last meeting, a 3-1 victory at last year's Big Sky tournament, which was revenge after the Eagles beat the Vikings on their Senior Day.
 

MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (9-5, 2-1) vs. IDAHO (1-15, 0-4)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 7, 1 p.m. PT, Moscow, Idaho (Memorial Gym)
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Idaho Vandals have had a tough start to the season, winning just one of their first 16 matches of the season. The lone win came over UC Riverside, which the Vandals swept to cap their home tournament, the Vandal Volleyball Invitational, on Aug. 27. The Vandals nearly pulled off a road win over Idaho State last Saturday, but fell in five sets to the Bengals. The Vandals are in their second year under head coach Chris Gonzalez, who led the Vandals to a 4-24 mark in his first year at the helm last season. The Vandals are a youthful team this season with 15 underclassmen on their 18-player roster between nine freshmen and six sophomores. Statistically, Taryn Vrieling leads the Vandals with 2.49 kills per set. She's the only Vandal who averages more than 1.75 kills per set, however. Aubrey Nielson ranks second on the team with 1.70 kills per set while Zuzanna Wieczorek ranks third with 1.53. Vrieling also leads the team with 0.27 aces per set. Defensively, Renata Lopez Morales, a grad transfer from Eastern Washington, leads the Vandals with 0.71 blocks per set. Sophomore libero Aine Doty is the highest-ranked Vandal with respect to the Big Sky Conference, as she leads the league while ranking in the top 50 nationally with 4.62 digs per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Vandals, 19-9. The Vikings have won their last two matches against the Vandals, including their last road match in the series. The Vikings won that match, 3-0, on Sept. 30, 2021, before sweeping the Vandals at home last season.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings had won five straight matches before falling in four sets to Sacramento State on the road last Friday.
• The Hornets recorded 18.0 total blocks against the Vikings last Friday, the most by a Viking opponent this season. The Hornets outhit the Vikings .250-to-.142 as a result, with the Vikings' .142 hitting percentage marking their second-lowest average in a match this season.
• Before their loss to the Hornets, the Vikings set season highs for hitting percentage (.328), kills (59) and assists (58) against Northern Colorado Saturday. The Vikings hit .400 or better with 16 or more kills in three of the four sets, all of which they won (unsurprisingly).
• The Vikings have recorded 29 aces in their three Big Sky matches this season, giving them an average of 2.42 aces per set within conference play. The Vikings are averaging 1.94 aces per set over the entire season, ranking them first in the Big Sky and 23rd in the NCAA.
• Gabby Hollins is averaging 3.81 kills per set on .353 hitting over the team's last four matches. Her best match of the season came against Northern Colorado when she recorded 15 kills on a career-best .636 hitting percentage, the third-best mark ever by a Viking in a four-set match.
• Gabby Hollins and Sophia Meyers won back-to-back Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for the Vikings. Hollins won the award on Sept. 25, after her standout performance against Northern Colorado. Meyers won the award on Sept. 18, after averaging 5.29 kills and 3.57 digs per set over the Vikings' back-to-back wins over Oregon State.
• The Vikings rank in the top three of the Big Sky Conference in every major statistical category, other than blocks per set where they still rank in the top half of the conference at fifth. They lead the conference in assists per set (12.3) and aces per set (1.94).
• The Vikings' average of 2.12 blocks per set represents a significant jump from their total last season. The Vikings averaged only 1.66 blocks per set during the regular season last year, meaning the Vikings are averaging nearly half a block more per set this season.
• The Vikings have been better at home than they have been on the road this season. They average 13.2 kills per set on .257 hitting and 2.41 aces per set at home. On the road, they average 12.3 kills per set on .180 hitting and 1.55 aces per set.
• The Vikings have been bitten by the injury bug this season. Nine different players have missed at least one match due to injury or illness. That group includes last season's All-Big Sky first-team selections Makayla Lewis and Madison Friebel, four-year starter Ashleigh Barto and freshman libero Paige Stepaniuk, who earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors after the opening weekend of the season.
• Sophia Meyers and Gabby Hollins give the Vikings two players in the top five of the Big Sky Conference for kills and points per set. Meyers ranks third in both categories, averaging 3.71 kills and 4.44 points per set. Hollins, meanwhile, ranks fourth in kills per set (3.57) and fifth in points per set (3.98).
• Ashleigh Barto ranks third in the Big Sky in both hitting percentage (.343) and blocks per set (1.13). Barto set a new season high with seven blocks against Northern Colorado on Sept. 23.
• Delaney Nicoll has averaged 2.27 kills per set on .266 hitting since the start of Big Sky play, as she's emerged as a third option for the Viking offense. Lauryn Anderson is also averaging 1.42 kills per set on .424 hitting since the start of conference play.
• The Vikings have yet to play a five-set match this season.
• At 7-4 in non-conference play, the Vikings recorded their best start to a season since going 9-3 through non-conference play in 2017. Three of the Vikings' seven non-conference wins came over Pac-12 schools between Oregon State (twice) and Utah (on Sept. 5).
• The Vikings are coming off their first appearance in the Big Sky championship match since 2013. The Vikings led Big Sky regular-season champion Northern Colorado 2-1 in the championship match but dropped the next two sets to fall in five.
• The Vikings followed their Big Sky tourney run with a second straight appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The Vikings were selected as host for the first two rounds of the tournament but fell in the first round to Santa Clara.
• Four players – Ashleigh Barto, Madison Friebel, Makayla Lewis and Sophia Meyers – return from last year's team. Friebel and Lewis made the All-Big Sky first team last season, while Meyers was a second-team selection. Barto is the most experienced of the four returning starters, having started at middle blocker for each of the past three seasons.
• The Vikings have new starters at libero and right side for the first time in years. Ellie Snook had held down the libero spot since 2019, when she debuted and went on to be a three-time Big Sky Libero of the Year. Meanwhile, all-time points leader Parker Webb – except for the latter half of the 2018 season when she was injured – had been the Vikings' regular starter on the right since 2017.
• The Vikings added seven newcomers over the offseason between four transfers and three freshmen. Three of the four transfers joined the Vikings in the spring, as Lauryn Anderson (CSUN), Kate Hansen (Bellevue College) and VaiLin Tagaloa (UNLV) stepped into new roles with the Vikings. A final transfer, Delaney Nicoll (Idaho), joined the Vikings this fall alongside freshmen Devon DeNecochea, Paige Stepaniuk and Naomi White.
• The Vikings are 38-24 over their last two seasons, as well as 23-9 in Big Sky play. The Vikings finished in the top three of the Big Sky Conference both seasons, after placing eighth or lower the previous three seasons.

 

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

Last Friday's loss to Sacramento State was a rare dud offensively for the Vikings. They hit just .142 – their second-lowest mark of the season – thanks to 18.0 blocks for the Hornets. However, in the five matches before the Vikings' loss to the Hornets (all wins), they were hitting .281 with 13.4 kills per set. The Vikings topped .300 in two of those five previous matches and hit .299 in one of the other three. So, the Vikings can strike it when the offense is humming. Against defending Big Sky champion Northern Colorado on Sept. 23, the Vikings set season highs for hitting percentage (.328), kills (59) and assists (58). Gabby Hollins had 15 kills on .636 hitting against the Bears, with her .636 mark being the third-best ever by a Viking in a four-set match. The Vikings rank in the top three of the Big Sky Conference in every offensive category, including leading the conference in assists (12.3) and aces (1.94) per set. Besides those categories, the Vikings rank second in the conference in kills per set (13.0) and third in hitting percentage (.226). The team's strength offensively comes in spite of frequent changes within the Vikings' lineup. Nine different players have sat out a match at some point this season, a group that includes both returning All-Big Sky first-team selections in Madison Friebel and Makayla Lewis, as well as four-year starting middle Ashleigh Barto. Friebel's first full match back came against Toledo on Sept. 9, and the team has hit .250 or better in four of the six matches since then. Sophia Meyers and Gabby Hollins have been the steady presences for the Vikings amid the injuries. They both rank in the top five of the Big Sky for kills and points per set. Meyers ranks third in both categories with 3.71 kills and 4.44 points per set. Hollins ranks fourth in kills per set (3.57) and fifth in points per set (3.98). Barto has also been an efficient presence for the offense as she ranks third in the Big Sky with a .343 hitting percentage while averaging 1.64 kills per set. Delaney Nicoll and Lauryn Anderson have had good starts to Big Sky play, as they've averaged 2.27 and 1.42 kills per set, respectively, against conference opponents. Anderson is hitting .424 within Big Sky play while Nicoll is at .266. Additionally, Ella Hartford heads into the weekend ranked seventh in the Big Sky with 5.75 assists per set.
 

ACE IN THE HOLE

The Vikings' best offensive weapon this season may not come from the front row. It might instead come from the end line where the Vikings have shown a killer serving instinct at times. The Vikings have 29 total aces in their three Big Sky matches so far this season, giving them an average of 2.42 aces per set so far against conference opponents. The Vikings lead the Big Sky while ranking 23rd in the NCAA with 1.94 aces per set across the whole season. The team showed its serving strength early in the season when the Vikings set a near-record with 16 aces against Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 26. The 16 aces were one off the program's three-set match record that has stood since 1995. Sophia Meyers had six aces in the match, the most by a Viking since Cheyne Corrado had seven against Oklahoma on Sept. 12, 2014. Meyers has eight aces already in Big Sky play, four of which came against Northern Colorado on Sept. 23. For the season, Meyers now leads the Big Sky while ranking 30th in the NCAA with 0.51 aces per set. Meyers hasn't been alone, however. Lauryn Anderson ranks second on the team with 16 total aces while averaging 0.32 aces per set. Gabby Hollins and Kate Hansen have 13 and 10 aces, respectively, while both average 0.30 aces per set. Madison Friebel has eight aces but averages 0.33 per set after missing the team's first seven matches of the season.
 

NET GAIN

A season ago, the Vikings finished the regular season dead last in the Big Sky Conference with 1.66 blocks per set. Six weeks into this fall, the Vikings rank fifth in the conference with 2.12 blocks per set. That's an improvement of nearly half a block a set. The Vikings had been on a particular hot streak from the net before Sacramento State held them to 6.0 in a four-set loss last Friday. Before that, the Vikings had averaged 2.60 blocks per set over their previous four matches, including a season-high 12.0 against defending Big Sky champion Northern Colorado on Sept. 23. Individually, Ashleigh Barto ranks third in the Big Sky with 1.13 blocks per set, the best average of her four-year Viking career. Fellow middle blocker Lauryn Anderson averages 0.76 blocks per set, while Kendra Duffey has averaged 0.75 blocks per set since the start of Big Sky play. In the back row, libero Paige Stepaniuk ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 3.43 digs per set, while Sophia Meyers ranks two spots behind her at 10th with 3.08 digs per set.
 

HOME/AWAY SPLITS

Last Friday's loss to Sacramento State halted some of the gains the Vikings had made on the road. Before that, the Vikings were coming off back-to-back road wins, including a road sweep of Oregon State on Sept. 14. Head coach Michael Seemann challenged his team with the fact that they hadn't won a true road match to that point before the start of the match against the Beavers. His team responded, recording its first road win over Oregon State since 1986, and their first road sweep since 1980. The Vikings then followed with a gutsy 3-1 road win over Idaho State in their Big Sky opener on Sept. 21. But with Friday's loss to the Hornets, the Vikings fell back into old habits. At home, the Vikings are averaging 13.2 kills per set on .257 hitting with 2.41 aces per set. On the road, the Vikings are averaging 12.3 kills per set on .180 hitting with 1.55 aces per set. The Vikings have seen improvement in their serving on the road, however. After they opened with just eight aces over their first three road matches of the season, they've recorded 26 total aces over their last three for an average of 2.36 per set.
 

SOPHIA MANIA

Sophia Meyers put together her most complete match of the season in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Northern Colorado on Sept. 23. Meyers finished with a match-high 17 kills while adding 11 digs, a career-high six blocks and four aces against the defending Big Sky champions. The performance came amid a strong run of play for Meyers during what was a five-match win streak for the Vikings before their loss to Sacramento State last Friday. In the five recent wins, Meyers averaged 4.16 kills per set to go with 2.89 digs, 0.53 blocks and 0.42 aces per set. That included two standout performances against Oregon State in which Meyers averaged 5.29 kills per set on .277 hitting while earning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors. For the season, Meyers now ranks third in the conference in both kills (3.71) and points (4.44) per set. Meyers is also the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 for both kills and digs per set, as she ranks 10th in the conference with 3.08 digs per set. Meyers' best weapon this season remains her serving as she leads the conference while ranking 30th nationally with 0.51 aces per set. Meyers had six aces against Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 26, the most by a Viking since 2014. She also had a standout performance against Southern Utah on Sept. 1 when she finished with 20 kills on .295 hitting. That was the most kills by a Viking in a three-set match since 2010.
 

YO GABBY GABBY

Gabby Hollins has been on a tear of late, averaging 3.81 kills per set on .353 hitting over the team's last four matches. That run includes the best match of Hollins' career when she recorded 15 kills on .636 hitting against Northern Colorado on Sept. 23, the third-best mark ever by a Viking in a four-set match. Hollins was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career after that match, which also came after she led the Vikings in kills (14), digs (11) and aces (5) against Idaho State on Sept. 21. Hollins' emergence this season comes after she didn't play a single match for the Vikings in 2022. Hollins now ranks fourth in the conference with 3.57 kills per set, as well as fifth in points with 3.98 per set. Hollins also had a standout match against San Diego State on Aug. 27, leading the Vikings with 17 kills on a then-career-best .452 hitting percentage. She also led all players with 18 kills on .267 hitting and 12 digs in the Vikings' 3-1, comeback win over Utah on Sept. 5. She heads into this weekend having recorded 14 or more kills in the Vikings' last four matches, including tying her season high with 18 against Sacramento State last Friday.
 

RAISING THE BAR-TO

Senior middle blocker Ashleigh Barto is averaging career bests in blocks per set (1.13), kills per set (1.64) and hitting percentage (.343). Not bad. It's what the Vikings would want to get out of a four-year starter, for sure. Barto now ranks third in the Big Sky in both hitting percentage and blocks per set. Her efforts at the net have helped the Vikings jump to fifth in the conference with 2.12 blocks per set as a team, a significant improvement over last season when they finished last in the conference with only 1.66 blocks per set. Barto has been even better within Big Sky play, as she's averaging 1.38 blocks per set so far against conference opponents. That includes a season-high seven blocks in the Vikings' 3-1 win over defending champion Northern Colorado on Sept. 23.
 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

The top three teams (in some order) within the Big Sky Conference the past two seasons? Portland State, Northern Colorado and Weber State. So, the top three in this year's Big Sky preseason poll? Portland State, Northern Colorado and Weber State. No surprise there. Northern Colorado topped the poll as the clear preseason No. 1 pick, garnering eight of the 10 first-place votes to finish with 80 points in the survey of conference coaches. Weber State finished second in the poll with one first-place vote and 69 points, while the Vikings finished third with 61 points.
 

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Sept. 23, 2023, Portland State 3, Northern Colorado 1: The Vikings won their first match against Northern Colorado since last year's loss in the Big Sky championship match. The Vikings set season highs for hitting percentage (.328), kills (59), assists (58) and blocks (12.0) in the match.
Sept. 16, 2023, Portland State 3, Oregon State 1: The Vikings completed their first season sweep of Oregon State since 1986. The win came in front of 708 fans, the largest crowd of the season for the Vikings, as well as their second-largest crowd ever at Viking Pavilion.
Sept. 14, 2023, Portland State 3, Oregon State 0: The Vikings won their first road match over the Beavers since 1986, as well as their first road sweep since 1980. The Vikings held the Beavers to a season-low .090 hitting while setting a season high with a .315 mark themselves.
Sept. 9, 2023, Portland State 3, Toledo 1: The Vikings had three players finish in double figures for kills for the first time this season. Madison Friebel also played her first full match of the season after suffering a concussion during training camp, finishing with a double-double of 26 assists and 13 digs.
Sept. 5, 2023, Portland State 3, Utah 1: The Vikings erased a first-set loss to beat Utah for their first win over a Power 5 Conference opponent this season. The win marked only the second time the Vikings have beaten a Pac-12 opponent since 2017.
Sept. 1, 2023, Portland State 3, Southern Utah 0: Sophia Meyers led the Vikings with 20 kills against the Thunderbirds, the most by a Viking in a three-set match since Whitney Phillips had a pair of 21-kill performances in 2010.
Aug. 27, 2023, Portland State 3, San Diego State 0: Gabby Hollins, forced into a new role after Makayla Lewis' injury two days earlier, had a career match, leading all players with 17 kills on a career-best .452 hitting. The Vikings hit .311 as a team, while out-acing the Aztecs 7-to-5.
Aug. 26, 2023, Portland State 3, Cal State Fullerton 0: The Vikings recorded 16 aces in a three-set sweep of Cal State Fullerton, putting them one off the program's three-set match record that has stood since 1995. Sophia Meyers had six aces individually, giving her the most by a Viking in a match since 2014.