Complete match notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team will wrap up the first half of the Big Sky Conference season with a tough road trip to Idaho State and Weber State this weekend. The Vikings open the trip at Idaho State Thursday (6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT start) before heading over to Weber State Saturday (5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT start).
 
A little adversity in the way of a road trip against two tough teams won't faze the Vikings, though. This team has faced plenty of that in the form of injuries and position changes.
 
On the injury front, the Vikings have been without senior Delaney Nicoll for the past three matches, just as the team seemed to break through offensively against Montana on Sept. 28. Nicoll finished with 13 kills on .345 hitting in that match, while the Vikings hit a season-high .355 as a team.
 
And Nicoll's injury was just the latest for the Vikings. Freshman Allison Panter missed all of fall camp and the first weekend of the season with an injury. Redshirt senior Taylor Hunter, meanwhile, went down with a season-ending injury on the opening weekend of the season.
 
Add in that the Vikings have moved people around – Carisa Barron to the left side; multiple players to the right – and a difficult road trip seems like child's play.
 
The Vikings have found some success recently despite all the adversity they've faced. They sit at 3-3 in Big Sky play entering the weekend, with their three conference wins all featuring standout moments.
 
Offensively, the Vikings have hit .250 or better in all three of their conference wins. That included the season-high mark against Montana in which the Vikings had five players record 10 or more kills while hitting .300 or better. The Vikings hadn't had five players record 10+ kills in the same match – no matter their individual hitting percentages – since 2007.
 
The Vikings also recorded their first sweep of the season on Oct. 12 when they beat Northern Arizona. They outhit the Lumberjacks .280-to-.146 in the match despite being without Nicoll.
 
Individually, Barron has appeared to find her footing on the left. She heads into the weekend averaging 3.76 kills per set in league matches. That's a significant jump from her average through non-conference play when she was posting 2.34 kills per set. She's been efficient in her attack, too, hitting .232 against conference opponents after hitting just .092 through non-conference play.
 
Middle blockers Reese Biesemeyer and Naomi White have been the models of efficiency. They head into Thursday's match against Idaho State ranked first and second in the Big Sky for hitting percentage, hitting .349 and .347, respectively. White has been even better within league play, as she's hitting a conference-best .441 against Big Sky opponents.
 
So, a little road adversity won't be new for the Vikings this weekend, even if the matches come against two strong opponents.
 
Idaho State has been a revelation within the Big Sky Conference so far this season. The Bengals were picked to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll and yet sported the best non-conference record within the Big Sky (10-3), and currently rank tied for third at 5-2 in conference play.
 
The Bengals' 5-2 league record includes a five-set road win over the current conference leader in Northern Colorado. The Bengals came back from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Bears in their home gym while outhitting the Bears .345-to-.222.
 
Statistically, the Bengals have been strong throughout, but particularly at the net. They lead the Big Sky and the nation with 3.12 blocks per set, and also lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.175) as a result. Offensively, the Bengals lead the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.268) while ranking second in the league in kills (12.9) and assists (11.9) per set.
 
Weber State, meanwhile, came into the year as the defending Big Sky tournament champion. The Wildcats opened their defense of that title with three straight wins over Northern Arizona (3-0), Idaho (3-0) and Montana (3-2). They've been a bit unlucky since then, dropping two matches in five sets and three of their last four overall.
 
Like the Bengals, the Wildcats have leaned on their defense at times this season. They head into the weekend ranked third in the Big Sky in both opponent hitting percentage (.188) and digs per set (14.6).
 
Offense has been more of a struggle for the Wildcats as they look to replace five-time All-Big Sky first-team selection Dani Richins. The Wildcats head into the weekend ranked eighth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.182), as well as ninth in kills (11.5) and assists (10.5) per set.
 
So, the Vikings know the task ahead of them. A little adversity on the road against two strong teams isn't going to faze them.
 
MATCH #18: PORTLAND STATE (4-13, 3-3) vs. IDAHO STATE (14-5, 5-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT, Pocatello, Idaho (Reed Gym)
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Idaho State Bengals have been a surprising presence at the top of the Big Sky standings so far this season. Picked to finish eighth in the 10-team conference before the start of the season, the Bengals posted the best non-conference record within the league (10-3) and head into Thursday's match ranked tied for third in the standings at 5-2 in Big Sky play. The Bengals' best win of the season came in Big Sky play, as they handed conference-leading Northern Colorado its only league loss to this point of the season. The Bengals beat the Bears in five sets on the road on Sept. 28, coming back from a 2-1 deficit while outhitting the Bears .345-to-.222. Overall this season, the Bengals have been strong in all aspects of the game. They lead the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.268), opponent hitting percentage (.175) and blocks per set (3.12). They not only lead the Big Sky but also the nation with their 3.12 blocks per set. Three different players rank in the top 10 of the conference in the category between Jaydin Watts (2nd, 1.43 b/s), Marci Bell (3rd, 1.29 b/s) and Maline Robarge (7th, 1.08 b/s). The Bengals also rank second in the league in kills (12.9) and assists (11.9) per set. Offensively, Jamie Streit leads the team with 3.09 kills per set, an average that ranks her sixth in the conference this season. Bell and Watts, meanwhile, rank fourth and sixth in the conference for hitting percentage with averages of .334 and .319, respectively. Streit also ranks in the top 10 of the conference for hitting percentage, as she ranks 10th at .291. Setter Aliyah Sopo'aga stirs the drink for the Bengals' offense with 9.21 assists per set, ranking her second in the conference. Her twin sister Asiah Sopo'aga leads the Bengals in the back row with 3.77 digs per set, ranking her fifth in the conference.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Bengals, 40-27. The Big Sky series has been closer, as the Vikings lead that one by three, 28-25. The Bengals snapped a six-match win streak for the Vikings in their last meeting, as they beat the Vikings 3-1 at Viking Pavilion on Oct. 12 last season.  
 
MATCH #19: PORTLAND STATE (4-13, 3-3) vs. WEBER STATE (7-11, 4-3)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT, Ogden, Utah (Swenson Gym)
SCOUTING WEBER STATE: The Weber State Wildcats – last year's defending Big Sky tournament champions – opened Big Sky Conference play with three straight wins. They swept Northern Arizona and Idaho on the opening week of league play, then followed up with a five-set victory over Montana on Oct. 3. They've been a bit unlucky since then, dropping three of four where two of those three losses came in five sets. The Wildcats are needing to replace five-time All-Big Sky first-team selection Dani Richins, who was also named MVP of the Big Sky tournament during the Wildcats' championship run last season. So far, the Wildcats have leaned on their defense this season. They rank third in the Big Sky in both opponent hitting percentage (.188) and digs per set (14.6). They also rank fourth in the conference in aces per set (1.53) and fifth in blocks per set (2.24). Saane Munyer leads the Wildcats' defense at the net, ranking eighth in the Big Sky with 1.07 blocks per set. Marly Pratt, meanwhile, has led the back row, recording 3.42 digs per set as she looks to replace longtime libero Makayla Sorensen. Offensively, the Wildcats rank eighth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.182), as well as ninth in kills (11.5) and assists (10.5) per set. Ashley Gneiting leads the team's attackers with 2.86 kills per set, an average that ranks her ninth in the Big Sky. Besides her, Baylee Bodily is the only other Wildcat averaging more than 2.00 kills per set as she's at 2.05.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Wildcats, 41-24. Weber State has dominated the series of late, however, winning nine of the team's last 12 matches. That includes both meetings last season, as the Wildcats swept the Vikings at home on Oct. 14, then swept them again in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament on Nov. 22.
 
STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

• The Vikings dropped their lone match last weekend, falling in four sets at home to Sacramento State on Friday.
• The Vikings made improvements against the Hornets from their first match against them. The Hornets hit .421 against the Vikings on Oct. 4 – the highest hitting percentage against the Vikings since 2018 – but were held to .255 hitting last Friday.
• The Vikings set a season high with 10 aces against the Hornets. Freshman Allison Panter led the way individually with a career high of three aces. Ella Hartford, Carisa Barron and Reese Biesemeyer all added two each.
• The Vikings have hit .250 or better in all three of their Big Sky victories so far. They hit .258 against Idaho in their conference opener on Sept. 26, then followed up with a season-high .355 hitting percentage against Montana on Sept. 28. The Vikings hit .280 in their 3-0 sweep of Northern Arizona on Oct. 12. Conversely, the Vikings have hit .115 or worse in their three conference losses.
• Carisa Barron is averaging 3.76 kills per set on .232 hitting so far in Big Sky play. She's gone into double figures in five of six conference matches so far this season, including a career-high 21 against Idaho on Sept. 26. Barron's 3.76 kills per set against conference opponents ranks third in the Big Sky.
• The Vikings are 4-1 this season when they hold their opponent to under .200 hitting and 0-12 when they don't.
• Middle blockers Reese Biesemeyer and Naomi White rank first and second in the Big Sky, respectively, with hitting percentages of .349 and .347. White has been hitting .441 so far within Big Sky play, the best mark of any player in the conference.
• The Vikings had five players finish in double figures for kills against Montana on Sept. 28, and all five hit above .300. The Vikings hadn't had five players record 10+ kills in the same match since a match against Sacramento State on Nov. 17, 2007 – nearly 17 years earlier.
• Makayla Lewis needs 49 more digs to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her collegiate career. She has 1,147 career kills and 951 career digs heading into Thursday's match at Idaho State. If she reaches both benchmarks, then she'd become only the second Viking to do so during the program's Division I era, joining Jessica Brodie (1,533 kills, 1,441 digs).
• Ella Hartford ranks third in the Big Sky Conference with 9.02 assists per set. She also ranks ninth in the league with 0.32 aces per set.
• The Vikings are 2-12 in deuce sets – sets decided by two points – this season. They split a pair of 25-23 sets with Sacramento State last Friday.
• The Vikings have been hard done by injuries so far this season. Senior Delaney Nicoll has sat the last three matches after starting every match up to that point. Redshirt senior Taylor Hunter suffered a season-ending knee injury against Nevada on Sept. 1 – a match she was dominating with 13 kills on .478 hitting at the time of her injury. Freshman setter Allison Panter, meanwhile, missed fall camp and the first weekend of the season due to an ankle injury.
• The Vikings were picked to finish fifth this season in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll. Four different teams received first-place votes in the poll with Weber State, Montana State and Sacramento State being a clear top three.
• The Vikings came into the season needing to replace five starters while integrating seven newcomers this season. Ella Hartford (setter) and Paige Stepaniuk (libero) are the two returning starters from a year ago. Makayla Lewis (outside) was a starter two years ago but suffered an ACL tear during the opening match of last season and has been recovering from that injury since then.
• Out of the Vikings' seven newcomers, the Vikings have four transfers and three freshmen. Five of the seven newcomers joined the Vikings ahead of their spring season between the team's four transfers – Carisa Barron (CSUN), Taylor Hunter (CSUN), Tyra Schaub (Gonzaga) and Sydney Stenson (UNLV) – and one freshman, Allison Panter. The other two freshmen – Cali-Jo Shigemasa and Reese Biesmeyer – joined the Vikings in the fall.
• All full-time coaches on the Vikings' coaching staff are Portland State alums. Head coach Michael Seemann graduated in 1999. Assistant coaches Diana Villalpando and Pati Anae both played for Seemann while graduating in 2011 and 2017, respectively. Volunteer assistant coach Duke Robins is the lone non-PSU alum on staff.
• This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Portland State volleyball program's first of four NCAA Division II national titles. The Vikings broke through in 1984, then defended their title in 1985. Those teams will be inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Oct. 29.

 
WHEN THE OFFENSE COOKS, THE VIKS COOK
The Viking offense has been a key part in each of the Vikings' three conference wins. They've hit .250 or better in all three wins, including a season-high .355 in their win over Montana on Sept. 28. The Vikings also set season highs for kills (69) and assists (66) in the match against Montana, when they had five players record 10 or more kills while all five hit .300 or better. The Vikings hadn't had five players record 10+ kills in the same match since a match against Sacramento State on Nov. 17, 2007 – nearly 17 years ago. Setter Ella Hartford led that effort, setting career highs for assists (60) and digs (16) in the process. Hartford now ranks third in the Big Sky with 9.02 assists per set this season. Carisa Barron has moved into the top 10 of the Big Sky for kills per set (2.85), after a big start to Big Sky play for the senior transfer. Barron entered league play averaging only 2.34 kills per set, but she's upped that to 3.76 kills per set on .232 hitting so far against Big Sky opponents. Makayla Lewis ranks second on the team with 2.76 kills per set, while Naomi White (2.05 k/s) and Reese Biesemeyer (1.70 k/s) rank behind here. The Viking offense could be even deeper if not for injuries, too, as Taylor Hunter (out of the season) and Delaney Nicoll (out for the team's last three matches) were averaging 2.33 and 2.14 kills per set, respectively, before their injuries.
 
STRENGTH AT THE NET
The Vikings have more firepower at the middle of the net than they've had in some time. Against Nevada on Sept. 1, Naomi White and Taylor Hunter combined for 28 kills on .500 hitting. That's more kills from their middle blockers than the Vikings got in any match last season. Against Montana on Sept. 28, White and freshman Reese Biesemeyer nearly matched that mark with 21 kills on .442 hitting. It's not only the kill production, though, it's the efficiency that's been a highlight for the Vikings. Biesemeyer and White head into Thursday's match against Idaho State ranked first and second in the Big Sky Conference with hitting percentages of .349 and .347, respectively. White has been even better within Big Sky play where she's hitting .441, the best mark of any player within the Big Sky Conference against league opponents. Defensively, White leads the Vikings with 0.97 blocks per set, while Biesemeyer ranks second with 0.79.
 
IMPROVED PASSING
Just as important as the offense has been in the Vikings' three conference wins has been their improved passing. It was a point of emphasis throughout fall camp and non-conference play for the Vikings, but the lessons seemed to take root once conference play started. The Vikings passed particularly well against Montana on Sept. 28. While the Grizzlies out-aced the Vikings, they didn't have any extended service runs. That was especially important against the Grizzlies' best server, Paige Clark, who came into the match leading the Big Sky in aces per set. While she still recorded two aces in the match, the Vikings limited her longest run of serve to two. Against Sacramento State last Friday, the Vikings actually out-aced (10-7) a Hornet team that came into the match ranked first in the Big Sky and 13th nationally in aces per set at the time. The Vikings need strong passing and defense if they are going to win matches this season. Heading into Thursday's match at Idaho State, the Vikings are 4-1 this season when holding opponent to under .200 hitting and 0-12 when they don't.
 
BEWARE THE RIZZLER
Carisa Barron – nicknamed The Rizzler – has found her mojo from the left side. A setter/right-side hitter over the first three years of her college career at CSUN, Barron moved to the left side to fill a need for the Vikings this season and has seemed to make a breakthrough just in time for the start of Big Sky play. Barron set a career high with 21 kills on .298 hitting in the Vikings' conference opener against Idaho on Sept. 26. She then followed with a match-high 18 kills on .341 hitting two days later against Montana, after which she was named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week. She's gone into double figures for kills in five of the Vikings' six Big Sky matches so far this season. Through six conference matches, Barron has averaged 3.76 kills per set, the third-best average for any player within the Big Sky during the conference season. That's a marked improvement from her numbers through non-conference play, when she was averaging just 2.34 kills per set. Her efficiency has gone up, too, as she's hitting .232 so far within Big Sky play after hitting just .092 through non-conference play.
 
RETURN OF THE MAK
Sixth-year senior Makayla Lewis made history on the opening weekend of the season. With her first kill of the Vikings' match against Nevada on Sept. 1, Lewis reached 1,000 kills in her collegiate career. It was a triumphant return for Lewis, who was poised for a big year last season before going down with an ACL injury during the team's opening match of the season. The fact that Lewis opted to come back to Portland State after that injury is a credit to her perseverance, a quality that has her on the verge of making other history as well. Lewis set another historic mark against Idaho on Sept. 26, moving into the Division I career top 10 for kills. She's only the second player to enter the top 10 since 2014, and now ranks eighth in the category after passing Marija Vojnovic (2006-09) during last Friday's match against Sacramento State. She also ranks eighth in Division I program history for kills per set (3.24) as well as ninth in points per set (3.66). Additionally, her double-double against Montana on Sept. 28 (16 kills, 11 digs) was the 30th of her PSU career, moving her up to seventh all-time at Portland State. Lewis could also join exclusive company in the 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs club, as she needs only 49 digs to reach the 1k mark in that category as well. She would join Jessica Brodie (1,533 kills, 1,441 digs) as the only two players to hit 1k kills and 1k digs in their career during the Vikings' Division I era.
 
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Oct. 12, 2024, Portland State 3, Northern Arizona 0: The Vikings recorded their first sweep of the season against the Lumberjacks. They set a three-set season high for digs with 50 in the match.
Sept. 28, 2024, Portland State 3, Montana 1: The Vikings overcame a first-set loss to win a match for the first time this season. They did so while setting season highs for hitting percentage (.355), kills (69) and assists (66). Five different players recorded at least 10 kills in the match, the first time the Vikings have had that happen since Nov. 17, 2007 – nearly 17 years earlier.
Sept. 26, 2024, Portland State 3, Idaho 1: The Vikings won their conference opener, outhitting the Vandals .258-to-.197. Carisa Barron set a career high with 21 kills on .298 hitting to lead the Vikings.
Sept. 18, 2024, #12 Oregon 3, Portland State 0: The Vikings set a Viking Pavilion record with 1,340 fans in attendance for their match against the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks. The figure trounced the old facility record for a volleyball match, which had been 813.
Sept. 15, 2024, Portland State 3, Butler 1: The Vikings broke through for their first win of the season behind a defense that held Butler to .138 hitting – a season low for a Viking opponent – while recording a season-high 14.0 blocks at the net.
Sept. 1, 2024, Nevada 3, Portland State 2: Makayla Lewis reached 1,000 kills in her collegiate career with her first kill of the match. Additionally, the Vikings got 28 kills on .500 hitting from middle blockers Naomi White and Taylor Hunter – more kills than they got from their middles in any match last season.