Complete match notes (PDF)
 

FIRST SERVE

A year ago, a 3-1 win over Oregon State – the Vikings' first over the Beavers since 1990 – helped launch the Portland State volleyball team on a season that would culminate with its first appearance in the Big Sky Championships match since 2013.
 
This season, the Vikings will face the Beavers twice – on the road Thursday, at home Saturday – to conclude the non-conference portion of its 2023 schedule. A win (or two) could serve as another launching point as the team heads into Big Sky Conference play the following week.
 
The Vikings already have a Pac-12 win under their belts this season. That came last Tuesday when they overcame an opening-set loss to beat Utah, 3-1. The Vikings won that match despite playing without three would-be starters, including both of their All-Big Sky first-team selections from a year ago, Makayla Lewis and Madison Friebel.
 
Friebel has since returned for the Vikings. After suffering a concussion during training camp, Friebel played her first full match of the season Saturday against Toledo. The 2022 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year seemingly picked up where she left off, recording a double-double of 26 assists and 13 digs while helping lead the Vikings to a 3-1 comeback win over a Toledo team that made the second round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) last season.
 
Friebel's return also coincided with the Vikings' best distribution to date. The Vikings had three players finish with 10+ kills in a match for the first time this season. Sophia Meyers led the way with a match-high 14 kills, while Ashleigh Barto and Kendra Duffey followed with 11 kills each on .500 and .308 hitting, respectively.
 
Duffey, a sophomore, had a career match against Toledo. Her 11 kills were four more than she's had in any other match as a Viking, while she also set career highs for blocks (4) and points (13.0). Additionally, right-side Delaney Nicoll had a solid match for the Vikings against Toledo, recording seven kills over the last three sets of the match.
 
The win over Toledo represented a bounce back for the Vikings, who got swept the day before by host North Dakota State. The loss continued a tough start to the season for the Vikings in true road matches. While the Vikings are 5-1 combined in home and neutral-site matches, they're 0-3 on the road.
 
The statistics reflect those home and away records. Serving provides the starkest example. While the Vikings have 36 aces across 14 sets at home (2.57 per set), they only have eight across 11 sets on the road (0.73 per set). The Vikings only have one ace combined in their last two road matches, including zero against North Dakota State on Friday.
 
The Vikings bounced back with seven aces in Saturday's neutral-site match against Toledo, but they still know they'll need to serve better when they open on the road against Oregon State Thursday.
 
It will be an improved Oregon State team that the Vikings face this weekend. The Beavers had won five matches in a row before falling in five sets at California Baptist last Saturday. The five-match win streak included three straight sweeps over North Dakota, Oklahoma and Boise State.
 
The win streak may have been a sign that the Beavers are figuring things out under first-year head coach Lindsey Behonick. Behonick came to Oregon State after spending the previous 10 years as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh. She was with Pitt during their two NCAA Final Four runs over the last two seasons, while the team made seven straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2016-22.
 
So far under Behonick, the Beavers have emerged as an efficient team offensively, as well as a strong blocking team at the net. The team ranks seventh in the Pac-12 Conference and 35th in the NCAA with a .270 team hitting percentage. They also rank fourth in the Pac-12 and 32nd in the NCAA with 2.65 blocks per set as a team.
 
Individually, Lauren Rumel leads the team with a .402 hitting percentage, ranking her seventh in the Pac-12 and 57th nationally. Rumel is also one of three different players averaging at least 0.87 blocks per set for the Beavers. Besides Rumel, Mychael Vernon – also the team's leading hitter at 3.65 kills per set – averages 0.90 blocks per set. Aliyah McDonald tops both, as she leads the team while ranking sixth in the Pac-12 and 54th in the NCAA with 1.29 blocks per set.
 
The Beavers' 5-3 start to the season means they're already only two wins shy of last year's win total (7). Still, one of their three losses came against another Big Sky Conference team in Montana State, which beat the Beavers in five sets at the Bobcats' home tournament to open the season.
 
The Vikings would love nothing more than to add a second (or third) loss to a Big Sky school for the Beavers. Last year, such a win sprang the Vikings on to what would come later. It'd be only too fitting if a repeat of last year helped launch the Vikings into Big Sky play.
 

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (5-4) vs. OREGON STATE (5-3)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Sept. 14, 5 p.m. PT, Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum)
 
MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (5-4) vs. OREGON STATE (5-3)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
 
SCOUTING OREGON STATE: The Oregon State Beavers had won five matches in a row before losing in five sets at California Baptist last Saturday. The Beavers' five-match win streak included three straight sweeps over North Dakota, Oklahoma and Boise State. The sweeps over Oklahoma and Boise State came at home, while the sweep of North Dakota came after two straight losses to open the season at the Bobcat Classic, hosted by Big Sky school Montana State. The Beavers lost their season opener against Montana State in five sets despite winning two of the first three sets by 25-14 scores. The Beavers are in their first year under head coach Lindsey Behonick, who spent the previous 10 years as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh. The Pitt Panthers made back-to-back NCAA Final Four appearances in 2021 and 2022 before Behonick left to coach the Beavers. Statistically, the Beavers have started the season strong both in terms of hitting percentage and blocking. They rank seventh in the Pac-12 Conference and 35th in the NCAA with a .270 team hitting percentage. They also rank fourth in the Pac-12 and 32nd in the NCAA with 2.65 blocks per set as a team. Individually, Lauren Rumel leads the team with a .402 hitting percentage, ranking her seventh in the Pac-12 and 57th nationally. Rumel is also one of three different players averaging at least 0.87 blocks per set for the Beavers. Besides Rumel, Mychael Vernon – also the team's leading hitter at 3.65 kills per set – averages 0.90 blocks per set. Aliyah McDonald tops both, as she leads the team while ranking sixth in the Pac-12 and 54th in the NCAA with 1.29 blocks per set. Offensively, five different players average at least 1.65 kills per set for the Beavers. Vernon leads the team with her 3.65 kills per set, while Megan Sheridan and Peyton Suess average 2.39 and 2.26 kills per set, respectively. Rumel then averages 1.87 kills per set, while Amanda Burns stands at 1.65 kills per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Beavers, 33-11. However, only eight of those meetings have happened since 1990, and the Beavers are 7-1 in those eight meetings. The Vikings' lone recent win came last season, when they beat the Beavers, 3-1, at home on Aug. 27. The Vikings' last road win over the Beavers came on Oct. 22, 1986.  
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings went 1-1 at the NDSU Tournament last weekend, losing in three sets to host North Dakota State before coming back from a set down to beat Toledo, 3-1, Saturday. After hitting .154 against the Bison Friday, the Vikings turned around and hit .257 Saturday. They also recorded seven aces against Toledo, a day after NDSU held them without an ace.
• The Vikings had three players record at least 10 kills for the first time this season during Saturday's match against Toledo. Sophia Meyers led the way with 14 kills, while Ashleigh Barto and Kendra Duffey had 11 each while hitting .500 and .308, respectively. Duffey's 11 kills marked a new career high while she also set career highs for blocks (4) and points (13.0) in the match.
• Sophia Meyers and Ashleigh Barto were both named to the NDSU Tournament All-Tournament team. Meyers earned the honor with 3.57 kills and 3.43 digs per set across both of the team's matches at the tournament. Barto, meanwhile, averaged 2.29 kills per set on .353 hitting at the tournament.
• Madison Friebel, the Vikings' All-Big Sky first-team setter, played her first full match of the season Saturday against Toledo. Friebel posted a double-double in her first full match back, finishing with 26 assists and 13 digs to go with two aces and a kill.
• The Vikings erased a first-set loss to come back and beat Utah, 3-1, last Tuesday before leaving for the NDSU Tournament. It was the Vikings' first win over a Power 5 Conference team in three attempts this season, as well as their second win over a Pac-12 opponent in the past two seasons.
• The Vikings have been bitten by the injury bug this season. Their win over Utah on Sept. 5 came despite playing without three would-be starters in Makayla Lewis, Madison Friebel and Paige Stepaniuk. Friebel came back over the weekend, but Lewis – her fellow All-Big Sky first-team selection last season – has been out since the first half of the Vikings' season-opening match against Kansas State. Stepaniuk has missed the last three matches without a concussion.
• While the Vikings are 5-1 combined in home and neutral-site matches, they're 0-3 in true road matches. That bears out statistically. The Vikings are hitting .225 in home matches, but just .150 in road matches. They also average 2.57 aces per set at home versus just 0.73 aces per set on the road.
• Gabby Hollins and Sophia Meyers give the Vikings two players in the top 10 of the Big Sky Conference for kills and points per set. Hollins ranks fourth in the conference with 3.48 kills per set, while Meyers stands sixth at 3.41. The two are flipped in points per set, with Meyers fourth in the conference at 4.11 per set while Hollins stands sixth at 3.86.
• The Vikings have recorded at least seven aces in five of their nine matches so far this season, including three of their four home matches. Sophia Meyers ranks tied for second in the conference with 0.50 aces per set individually, while Kate Hansen – who started for the first time this past week in place of the injured Paige Stepaniuk – ranks seventh with 0.44 per set. As a team, the Vikings rank fifth in the Big Sky with 1.75 aces per set.
• Offensively, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky in both kills (13.0) and assists per set (12.2). They rank fifth in the conference with a .210 team hitting percentage.
• Defensively, the Vikings lead the Big Sky in digs per set (15.8) while ranking fourth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.193). The Vikings have held three of their nine opponents to under .150 hitting, though they also have three wins this season when their opponent has hit over .200, something they never did last season.
• 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

The Vikings finally saw Madison Friebel – the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and All-Big Sky first-team selection last season – play a full match Saturday against Toledo. Friebel had been out with a concussion she suffered during training camp, and the Vikings subsequently lost two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection Makayla Lewis for the season during their season-opening match against Kansas State. And yet, it hasn't mattered much for the Vikings who still rank second in the Big Sky for both kills (13.0) and assists (12.2) per set this season. Gabby Hollins and Sophia Meyers give the Vikings two players in the top six of the Big Sky for kills per set. Hollins ranks fourth in the conference at 3.48 kills per set, while Meyers stands sixth at 3.41. The two also rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for points per set, flipping their order with Meyers fourth at 4.11 points per set and Hollins sixth at 3.86. Both players have had big matches already this season. Hollins led all players with 18 kills on .267 hitting to go with 12 digs and two aces in the Vikings' 3-1, comeback win over Utah Tuesday. Meyers, who has five double-doubles in the Vikings' last six matches, posted her best match of the season against Southern Utah on Sept. 1. Meyers recorded 20 kills in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of the Thunderbirds, giving her the most kills by a Viking in a three-set match since 2010. Meanwhile, the Vikings got their best distribution of the season Saturday when they had three players finish with 10+ kills for the first time this season. Meyers led the way again with 14 kills against Toledo, while Ashleigh Barto and Kendra Duffey added 11 each on .500 and .308 hitting, respectively. Friebel, meanwhile, posted her first double-double of the season in her first full match, recording 26 assists and 13 digs to go with two aces and a kill. For the season, fellow setters Ella Hartford and VaiLin Tagaloa both rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for assists per set. Hartford ranks eighth in the conference with 5.50 assists per set, while Tagaloa ranks 10th at 4.54. Barto also ranks third in the Big Sky with a .341 hitting percentage.
 

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 time. While they struggled against North Dakota State Friday, recording zero aces for the first time, the Vikings responded with seven aces against Toledo. It was the fifth time out of nine matches this season that the Vikings have recorded at least seven aces in a match. That includes a near-record 16 aces in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of 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. The Vikings also had nine aces against Utah last Tuesday, with Kate Hansen leading the team with four individually. Meyers and Hansen now both rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for aces per set. Meyers ranks tied for second with 0.50 aces per set, while Hansen stands seventh at 0.44. As a team, the Vikings fell down the rankings a bit as a result of getting shut out against North Dakota State, but still rank fifth in the Big Sky and in the top 100 of the NCAA with 1.75 aces per set. Eleven different players have recorded at least one ace this season, while five different players have six or more.
 

WHY YOU SO DEFENSIVE, BRO?

The Portland State defense has shown the same depth as the offense so far this season, especially in last Tuesday's win over Utah when Kate Hansen started in place of the injured Paige Stepaniuk at libero. Stepaniuk, a freshman, had been a standout for the Vikings since being named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week following the first weekend of her career. Stepaniuk averaged 4.60 digs per set during that opening weekend, when she was also named to the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown All-Tournament Team. Hansen has stepped up in Stepaniuk's absence, however, especially in last Tuesday's win over Utah when she led all players with four aces to go with seven digs. As a team, the Vikings lead the Big Sky with 15.8 digs per set, an average that also ranks them 43rd in the NCAA. Stepaniuk ranks seventh in the conference individually with 3.76 digs per set, while Sophia Meyers ranks ninth at 3.38. Outside of digs, the Vikings have also shown improvement at the net so far this season. It's still early, but a year after they finished the regular season last in the Big Sky with 1.66 blocks per set, the Vikings now rank seventh in the conference with 1.97 blocks per set. Ashleigh Barto leads the group at the net with 1.03 blocks per set individually, ranking her sixth in the conference.
 

HOME/AWAY SPLITS

As encouraging as the Vikings' resilient showing has been while they've been without three would-be starters at times, they still have to crack the road question. While the Vikings have started 3-1 at home and 2-0 in neutral-site matches, they're 0-3 in true road matches. That bears out in the team's stats between home and away matches. While the Vikings are hitting .225 with 12.86 kills per set at home, those numbers drop to .150 and 11.91 kills per set on the road. Serving has been the biggest differentiator. The Vikings have 36 aces in their four home matches for an average of 2.57 aces per set. However, on the road, the Vikings only have eight aces across three matches for an average of 0.73 aces per set. So, the Vikings are still awaiting their breakthrough on the road this season.
 

SOPHIA MANIA

Sophia Meyers has been the model of consistency for the Vikings recently, recording five double-doubles in the team's last six matches. That stretch includes the Vikings' weekend in California when Meyers finished with 45 kills and 45 digs across the team's three matches. Meyers' consistency means she's the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 in both kills and digs per set. Meyers ranks sixth in the conference with 3.41 kills per set and ninth with 3.38 digs per set. She also stands fourth in the conference with 4.11 points per set, thanks in part to her standout serving which has her ranked tied for second in the Big Sky with 0.50 aces per set. Meyers' best serving match came against Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 26 when she finished with six aces – the most by a Viking in a match since 2014. Meyers also had the most kills by a Viking in a three-set match since 2010 when she finished with 20 kills on .295 hitting to go with 14 digs against Southern Utah on Sept. 1. Last weekend, Meyers was named to the NDSU Tournament All-Tournament team after posting back-to-back double-doubles against North Dakota State Friday and Toledo Saturday. Meyers finished with 11 kills and 10 digs against the hosts Friday, then posted a symmetrical 14 kills and 14 digs in the Vikings' win over Toledo.
 

YO GABBY GABBY

Gabby Hollins didn't play a single match for the Vikings in 2022. Not one. And yet, when teammate Makayla Lewis went down with an injury in the Vikings' season opener, Hollins stepped up to lead the Vikings in kills in back-to-back sweeps of Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State, including 17 kills on a career-best .452 hitting against the Aztecs. Hollins topped that last Tuesday when she led all players with 18 kills in the Vikings' 3-1, comeback win over Utah. Hollins' 18 kills came on .267 hitting against the Utes, while she also added 12 digs and two aces for her first double-double of the season. She had a quieter weekend at the NDSU Tournament, but Hollins still ranks fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.48) and sixth in points per set (3.86). Outside of her kill production, Hollins has seven aces this season, all of which have come in the Vikings' last three home matches.
 

NOTHING'S MID ABOUT THESE MIDDLES

Portland State head coach Michael Seemann has high hopes at middle blocker this season, and it seems to be warranted early on as the Vikings have already shown improvements at the net. After averaging just 1.66 blocks per set during the regular season last year, the Vikings are up to 1.97 blocks per set so far this season. Four-year starter Ashleigh Barto has been the standout for the Vikings. She has at least two blocks in all nine matches so far this season, ranking her sixth in the conference with 1.03 blocks per set. Barto, who was named to the NDSU Tournament All-Tournament team last weekend, has also been a contributor on offense for the Vikings. She had 11 kills on .500 hitting in the team's win over Toledo, and now ranks third in the conference with a .341 hitting percentage this season. Lauryn Anderson, meanwhile, has started all nine matches opposite Barto, and made the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown All-Tournament Team after the opening weekend of the season. In addition to her play at the net, Anderson ranks second on the team with eight aces so far this season. Naomi White is just a freshman, but she already has two appearances for the Vikings.
 

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. 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.