Complete Match Notes (PDF)
 

FIRST SERVE

A Power 5 Conference win in their bag after Tuesday's 3-1, comeback victory over Utah, the Portland State Vikings now look to knock off a pair of postseason teams this week at the NDSU tournament in Fargo, N.D.
 
The Vikings will face host North Dakota State Friday (10 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. CT) before taking on Toledo in a neutral-site match Saturday (8 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. CT).
 
All three teams at the tournament, the Vikings included, made the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) last season. Both the Vikings and Bison fell in the first round of the NIVC. Toledo beat Clemson, 3-1, to make it to the second round where they lost to Western Carolina.
 
So, the challenges don't let up for the Vikings, even as they seemingly hurdle every barrier put in front of them.
 
Tuesday, it was the absence of another would-be starter that the Vikings overcame. Already without both of their All-Big Sky first-team selections from a year ago – Madison Friebel and Makayla Lewis – the Vikings lost freshman libero Paige Stepaniuk for yesterday's match due to concussion protocol. Stepaniuk had opened her first collegiate season promisingly, too, as she was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after the first weekend of the season.
 
But even without three starters, the Vikings showed enough guts to pull out the win over the Utes. Gabby Hollins, starting in place of Lewis since her injury in the Vikings' season opener, set a season high with 18 kills against the Utes while hitting .267 and adding 12 digs and two aces. Hollins led all players with her 18 kills in the match, as she recorded at least four kills in all four sets.
 
Meanwhile, setters Ella Hartford and VaiLin Tagaloa – splitting time in the Vikings' 6-2 formation since the injury to Friebel in training camp – led the Viking offense with 21 and 18 assists, respectively. Kate Hansen, starting in place of Stepaniuk, steadied the Vikings' back row with a match-high four aces and seven digs.
 
If the win over Utah – the Vikings' second over a Pac-12 opponent in the past two seasons – proved anything, it was that the Vikings have depth.
 
For instance, not mentioned above were the two stars of the previous weekend for the Vikings, Sophia Meyers and Ashleigh Barto. Meyers finished the Vikings' three matches in California this past weekend with a symmetrical stat line of 45 kills (4.09 per set) and 45 digs (4.09 per set).
 
Meyers' best match of the season came last Friday against Southern Utah when she totaled 20 kills on .295 hitting while adding 14 digs and two aces in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of the Thunderbirds. Her 20 kills were the most by a Viking in a three-set match since Whitney Phillips had a pair of 21-kill performances in 2010.
 
Barto, meanwhile, averaged 1.45 blocks per set over the Vikings' weekend in California, and now ranks sixth in the conference with 1.08 blocks per set for the season. Barto also contributed on offense with 2.09 kills per set on .370 hitting over the team's three matches in California, and now ranks fourth in the conference with a .337 hitting percentage.
 
The Vikings will need everyone contributing this weekend as they take on a pair of North Dakota State and Toledo teams that went a combined 40-25 last season.
 
The Bison were a 20-win team last season when they went 21-12 overall and 13-5 in The Summit League. They return leading hitter Ali Hinze, who was named to the All-Summit League First Team last season and leads the team again with 3.24 kills per set so far this season. Kelley Johnson, the 2022 Summit League Setter of the year last season, also returned for the Bison. Together, those two lead a North Dakota State offense that tops The Summit League with a .256 hitting percentage.
 
Toledo has gotten it done more with defense so far this season, as the Rockets rank second in the MAC and 47th nationally with 15.8 digs per set.
 
Even still, the Rockets are not without firepower offensively. Taylor Alt returned for the Rockets after earning All-MAC first-team honors last season when she led the conference in both kills per set (4.02) and points per set (4.63). Alt leads the Rockets with 3.46 kills per set so far this season, with Jada Bouyer (2.54) and Izzy Granger (2.35) second and third on the team, respectively, behind her. Alt undeniably gets the lion's share of the sets, though, as she ranks 31st in the NCAA with 11.17 attacks per set this season.
 
The Vikings played well against a dominant hitter in Tuesday's victory over the Utes. They held Utah's Lauren Jardine – ranked 12th in the NCAA with 4.73 kills per set coming into the match – to just nine kills and a negative hitting percentage (-.032).
 
That was a key matchup the Vikings won against the Utes. Add in the resiliency, toughness and depth the Vikings showed, and it all mixed together for a win. Now, it's time to do it again. Twice, ideally.
 

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (4-3) vs. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (4-2)

LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Sept. 8, 10 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. CT, Fargo, N.D. (Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse)
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE: The North Dakota State Bison enter their home tournament Friday 4-2 on the season. They swept all three matches at the Vandal Volleyball Invitational, including a 3-1 win over host Idaho, a fellow Big Sky Conference school. The Bison followed up with a 1-2 record at the Dayton Flyer Classic, beating Butler in five sets before losing in four sets to Dayton and Ohio. The Bison are coming off a 20-win season last year, when they went 21-12 overall and 13-5 in The Summit League. The Bison finished third in the Summit League last season, and advanced to the Summit League semifinals where they fell to Omaha in four sets. The Bison were selected to compete in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship – the same tournament the Vikings have made the past two years – but lost in five sets to Davidson in the first round of the tournament. The Bison were picked to finish second in The Summit League during the preseason, behind defending champion South Dakota. Leading hitter Ali Hinze returned for the Bison after being named to the All-Summit League First Team last season. Hinze has topped the Bison again this season with 3.24 kills per set, an average that ranks her fifth in The Summit League so far this season. Setter Kelley Johnson also returned after being named the 2022 Summit League Setter of the Year last season. Johnson averages 9.72 assists per set so far this season, ranking her second in The Summit League and 71st in the NCAA. Those two lead a North Dakota State offense that tops the league with a .256 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Bison rank second in The Summit League and 55th in the NCAA with 15.6 digs per set as a team. Logan O'Brien leads the team with 3.60 digs per set, while four different players average at least 2.76 digs per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Bison, 10-4, though the Bison are 3-0 against the Vikings on their home court. That said, the teams have met only twice since 2006, and both of those meetings came in the same year. The Vikings and Bison faced each other twice at one of the Vikings' home tournaments in 2021. The Vikings swept the Bison in the first match, then completed a first reverse sweep in the second match.
 

MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (4-3) vs. TOLEDO (2-4)

LIVE STATS
DETAILS: Saturday, Sept. 9, 8 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. CT, Fargo, N.D. (Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse)
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Toledo Rockets have gone 1-2 over each of the first two weekends of the season. The Rockets opened their season with a five-set win over Northeastern at the Wake Forest Invitational before losing back-to-back 3-0 matches to Wake Forest and Grand Canyon. The Rockets then lost to Youngstown State (3-1) and Virginia Tech (3-2) at their home tournament, the Toledo Invitational, before closing the week with a 3-1 win over Memphis. The Rockets returned three starters plus their libero from a 2022 team that went 19-13 overall and 11-7 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Rockets finished third in the West Division of the MAC last season, but lost in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament to Central Michigan. The Rockets still qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), the same tournament that Portland State and North Dakota State played in last season. The Bison beat Clemson, 3-1, in the first round of the NIVC, but lost in three sets to Western Carolina in the second round. Taylor Alt returns after being named to the All-MAC First Team last season when she led the conference in kill per set (4.02) and points per set (4.63). Alt leads the Rockets with 3.46 kills per set so far this season, with Jada Bouyer (2.54) and Izzy Granger (2.35) second and third on the team, respectively. Alt undeniably gets the lion's share of the sets, though, as she ranks 31st in the NCAA with 11.17 attacks per set this season. Setters Mary Kate Lopez and Macy Hatkevich have split time this season, with Lopez averaging 9.35 assists per set and Hatkevich averaging 8.00. Defensively, the Rockets rank second in the MAC and 47th nationally with 15.8 digs per set. Ryann Jaqua leads the team while ranking fourth in the MAC and 61st in the NCAA with 4.58 digs per set individually.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings and Rockets have only played once before, which was a neutral-site match at UC Irvine in 1998. The Vikings won that match, 3-1.
 

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings erased a first-set loss to comeback and beat Utah, 3-1, Tuesday. It was the Vikings' first win over a Power 5 Conference team in three attempts this season, as well as their second over a Pac-12 opponent in the past two seasons.
• The Vikings beat the Utes despite playing without three would-be starters in Makayla Lewis, Madison Friebel and Paige Stepaniuk. Lewis and Friebel – both All-Big Sky first-team selections last season – have been out since the first half of the Vikings' season-opening match against Kansas State. Stepaniuk's absence was new as of the Utah match.
• Gabby Hollins, who has started since Makayla Lewis went down with an injury, led the Vikings with a season-high 18 kills on .267 hitting while adding 12 digs and two aces against the Utes. It was Hollins' first double-double of the season.
• Sophia Meyers averaged 4.09 kills and 4.09 digs per set over the team's three matches in California last weekend, when she also finished with three straight double-doubles. Meyers enters this weekend ranked in the top 10 of the Big Sky in aces per set (1st, 0.60), points per set (4th, 4.14), kills per set (5th, 3.36) and digs per set (9th, 3.36). Meyers is the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 10 in both kills per set and digs per set.
• Sophia Meyers had 20 kills on .295 hitting in the team's 3-0 sweep of Southern Utah last Friday. Her 20 kills were the most by a Viking in a three-set match since Whitney Phillips had a pair of 21-kill performances in 2010.
• Ashleigh Barto averaged 1.45 blocks per set over the team's three matches in California last weekend. She now ranks sixth in the Big Sky with 1.08 blocks per set this season. She also ranks fourth in the conference with a .337 hitting percentage.
• The Vikings recorded nine aces against Utah Tuesday, with Kate Hansen – starting in place of the injured Paige Stepaniuk – leading the team with four. The Vikings have recorded at least seven aces in four of their seven matches, and head into Friday ranked third in the Big Sky and 57th nationally with 1.96 aces per set as a team. Sophia Meyers leads the conference individually with 0.60 aces per set.
• Offensively, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky in assists per set (12.1) and third in both kills per set (12.9) and aces per set (1.96). They rank fourth as a team in hitting percentage (.210).
• Defensively, the Vikings lead the Big Sky in digs per set (15.7) while ranking fourth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.173). The Vikings have held three of their seven opponents to under .150 hitting, though Utah hit .246 against them Tuesday despite the Vikings' win.
• Utah outhit the Vikings .246 to .209 in Tuesday's match, marking the first time the Vikings had been outhit in a win since their 3-1 win over Southern Utah on Nov. 6, 2021.
• The Vikings have been playing without their two returning All-Big Sky first-team selections from last season for all but the first half of their season opener. Setter Madison Friebel has yet to play in a match this season, while Makayla Lewis went down with what's believed to be a season-ending injury in the third set of the Vikings' opening match of the 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

Down their all-conference first-team setter and left-side hitter for all but the first half of their first match of the season, the Vikings have still produced plenty of offensive firepower so far this season. It's a sign of the Vikings' depth if nothing else. Despite losing two-time first-teamer Makayla Lewis in the season-opening match, the Vikings rank second in the Big Sky for assists per set (12.1), and third in both kills per set (12.9) and aces per set (1.96). The team also ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.210). Gabby Hollins and Sophia Meyers give the Vikings two players in the top five of the Big Sky for kills per set. Hollins ranks fourth in the conference at 3.62 kills per set, while Meyers stands fifth with 3.36 kills per set. 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' best match came last Friday, when she recorded 20 kills on .295 hitting in the team's 3-0 sweep of Southern Utah. Meyers' 20 kills were the most by a Viking in a three-set match since 2010. Outside of those two, middle blocker Ashleigh Barto had a strong offensive weekend in California last week, averaging 2.09 kills per set on .370 hitting. Barto now ranks fourth in the Big Sky with a .337 hitting percentage. Setters Ella Hartford and VaiLin Tagaloa, meanwhile, have split time in the Vikings' 6-2 formation in place of last year's starter Madison Friebel, one of the two missing first-team selections. The pair both rank in the top 10 of the conference for assists per set, with Hartford eighth at 5.68 assists per set, and Tagaloa 10th at 4.68.
 

ACE IN THE HOLE

The Vikings' best offensive weapon this season might not come from anyone in the front row. It might instead come from the end line where the Vikings have shown a killer serving instinct this season. The Vikings have seven or more aces in four matches already, including a near-record 16 in their 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 that 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 in Tuesday's win over the Utes, with Kate Hansen leading the team with four individually. Meyers has recorded at least one ace in all seven matches so far this season and leads the Big Sky with 0.60 aces per set as a result. As a team, the Vikings rank third in the Big Sky and 57th in the NCAA with 1.96 aces per set. Nine different players have at least one ace this season, while four different players have six or more. Besides Meyers, who leads the team with 15 aces, Gabby Hollins and Lauryn Anderson have seven aces each, while Ella Hartford has six.
 

WHY YOU SO DEFENSIVE, BRO?

The Portland State defense has shown the same depth as the offense so far this season, especially in 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 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. Hansen stepped up in Stepaniuk's absence Tuesday, however, as she led all players with four aces to go with seven digs in the match against the Utes. As a team, the Vikings lead the Big Sky with 15.7 digs per set, an average that also ranks them 53rd in the NCAA. Stepaniuk ranks sixth in the conference individually with 3.76 digs per set, while Sophia Meyers ranks ninth at 3.36. 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 1.96 blocks per set. Ashleigh Barto leads the group at the net with 1.08 blocks per set individually, ranking her sixth in the conference. Putting the two elements together, the team's digging and improved blocking, means the Vikings also rank fourth in the Big Sky in opponent hitting percentage (.184). Three of the Vikings' seven opponents so far this season have failed to hit better than .150 against the Vikings, including Cal State Fullerton which hit just .055 against the Vikings.
 

SOPHIA MANIA

In the Vikings' three matches in California last weekend, Sophia Meyers totaled 45 kills and 45 digs, giving her averages of 4.09 per set in both categories. That symmetry is fitting since Meyers finished with double-doubles in all three matches. She totaled 20 kills on .295 hitting while adding 14 digs and two aces in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of Southern Utah last Friday. Her 20 kills were the most by a Viking in a three-set match since Whitney Phillips had a pair of 21-kill performances in 2010. Meyers followed with 12 kills and 14 digs to go with three aces against Cal, then capped the weekend with 13 kills on .323 hitting and 17 digs against Saint Mary's. Meyers now ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky Conference in four different categories. She's the only player in the conference to rank in the top 10 in both kills per set and digs per set, where she ranks fifth in kills (3.36) and ninth in digs (3.36). She also ranks fourth in the conference with 4.14 points per set. Meyers' best showing this season has been from the service line, however. She leads the conference with 0.60 aces per set, having recorded at least one ace in all seven matches this season. She set a career high with six aces in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 26, the most by a Viking since 2014.
 

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 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. Hollins now ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 3.62 kills per set, while also ranking fifth in the conference with 4.07 points per set. She's recorded at least nine kills in all six matches she's started since Lewis' injury. Additionally, Hollins ranks tied with teammate Lauryn Anderson for second on the team with seven aces each.
 

NOTHING'S MID ABOUT THESE MIDDLES

Portland State head coach Michael Seemann has high hopes at middle blocker this season, even as the Vikings mix the old with the new at the position. Ashleigh Barto is a four-year starter at the position now, while the Vikings added newcomers Lauryn Anderson and Naomi White over the offseason. 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 1.96 blocks per set so far this season. Barto has been the standout for the Vikings. She averaged 1.45 blocks per set over the Vikings' weekend in California, and now ranks sixth in the conference with 1.08 blocks per set for the season. Barto has also been a contributor on offense for the Vikings. She averaged 2.09 kills per set on .370 hitting over the team's three matches in California, and now ranks fourth in the conference with a .337 hitting percentage. Anderson, meanwhile, has started all seven 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 tied with teammate Gabby Hollins for second on the team with seven aces this season, three of which came in the team's 3-0 sweep of Cal State Fullerton on Aug. 26. White is just a freshman, but she already has two appearances this season, including last Saturday against Saint Mary's when she had two kills and a block.
 

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. 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.