Match Notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
Seven weeks into its 2025 season, the Portland State volleyball team has played a total of four home matches. The Vikings will double that total over the next two weeks as they open a four-match home stand against Montana State Thursday (7 p.m.) and Montana Saturday (7 p.m.).
 
Even the Vikings' four home matches to this point of the season have been scattered. They opened Big Sky play at home against Idaho State on Sept. 25 but then had to immediately travel to play Montana State two days later. They were back for a home match against Sacramento State on Oct. 3, but that was the only match of the weekend, and the Vikings were back on the road at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado the following week.
 
So, the Vikings have to be excited for their first extended stay at home this season.
 
They'll hope that the home cooking can heal their wounds as the Vikings enter this Thursday's match against the Bobcats on a three-match losing streak. Some tough luck has led to that recent streak. They lost standout freshman Willow Watson to injury during their match against the Hornets. That led to a weekend of moving pieces for the Viking offense last weekend. They played 13 of their 14 available players last Thursday against Northern Arizona, then played 12 of 14 players against Northern Colorado Saturday.
 
Even with that, the Vikings showed their potential, particularly from the service line. The Vikings recorded 12 aces against Northern Colorado, their most in a Big Sky road match since they had 14 against Weber State on Oct 12, 2012. Four different players recorded three aces each for the Vikings between Reese Biesemeyer, Ava Blascziek, Tyra Schaub and Paige Stepaniuk. That didn't even include setter Allison Panter, who leads the Big Sky Conference while ranking 30th nationally with 0.49 aces per set. The depth of servers available to the Vikings mean they lead the conference with 1.78 aces per set within Big Sky play.
 
Alivia Eikenberg has also provided a bright spot for the Vikings during their recent rough patch. Eikenberg has recorded a double-double in all five Big Sky Conference matches so far, giving her a total of nine this season. Eikenberg's nine double-doubles rank second only to Garyn Schlatter's freshman record of 13 double-doubles in 2010. She's averaging 4.00 kills and 3.17 digs per set within Big Sky play.
 
Two things that could help the Vikings get over the hump would be a fast start and strong play at the net. The Vikings are 4-1 this season when winning the opening set and 2-9 when they don't. Additionally, the Vikings have struggled to fire up their block recently. They're averaging just 1.33 blocks per set within Big Sky play after averaging 2.31 blocks per set through the preseason.
 
The Vikings had both a fast start and a strong block in their first match against Montana State this season. They handed the Bobcats their lone conference loss so far when they swept them on the road on Sept. 27. The Vikings outhit the Bobcats .320-to-.091 in the opening set of that match, while they out-blocked them 9.0-to-8.0 over the entire match.
 
Naomi White was part of five of the Vikings' nine blocks, including two back-to-back to end the match after the Bobcats had tied it at 24-all in the third set. Eikenberg led all players with 15 kills in the match, while Schaub added 10 kills on .444 hitting.
 
The Bobcats have responded well to that initial loss to the Vikings. They followed it with three straight wins over Northern Arizona (3-2 on Oct. 2), Northern Colorado (3-1 on Oct. 4) and Montana (3-2 on Oct. 11). Their five-set road victory over Montana was a matchup of two 3-1 teams in Big Sky play, with the winner guaranteed to tie Weber State for the conference lead.
 
The Bobcats have earned their way to the top of the standings without being exceptional in any one category. Instead, they remain consistent across the board, ranking in the middle of the conference in most statistical categories. The highest they rank within the Big Sky in any one category is fourth with 1.60 aces per set. But the lowest they rank is eighth with 10.9 assists per set. Everything else is in between those two.
 
Karli Heidemann leads the Bobcats individually, ranking eighth in the Big Sky with 3.16 kills per set. Setter Teagan Jaynes ranks third in the conference with 9.10 assists per set, while Camryn Greenwald ranks fifth with a .360 hitting percentage. Jaynes and Lauren Lindseth also rank fifth and eighth, respectively, with 0.35 and 0.32 aces per set.
 
Defensively, Lindseth ranks second in the conference with 4.73 digs per set while Joelie Spelts ranks 10th with 0.98 blocks per set.
 
Montana has had its own strong start to Big Sky play. The Grizzlies swept Sacramento State and Idaho to open the conference season, extending what was a 10-match winning streak at the time. Northern Colorado snapped the Grizzlies' streak with a four-set win in Missoula on Oct. 2. The Grizzlies bounced back with a four-set home win over Northern Arizona two days later but then fell in five sets last Saturday to the Bobcats.
 
The Grizzlies have outperformed their preseason projections – they were picked to finish ninth – behind an offense that leads the Big Sky in kills (13.9) and assists (12.7) per set. Their defense also leads the conference and ranks fifth nationally with 17.6 digs per set.
 
Individually, libero Alexis Batezel leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally with 5.02 digs per set. Setter Gracie Cagle tops the conference with 9.61 assists per set while she also ranks third in the conference with 0.41 aces per set. Delaney Russell leads the teams' attackers with 3.51 kills per set, ranking her third in the conference. Olivia LaBeau and Sydney Pierce rank seventh and eighth in the conference for hitting percentage with .352 and .349, respectively. Pierce also ranks ninth in the conference with 0.31 aces per set.
 
The Vikings have had good luck against the Grizzlies at home recently. They've won eight straight home matches against Montana, with their last loss coming in 2015 before the construction of Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings have some history to protect in their home gym, then. It's another thing to relish about finally playing at Viking Pavilion for an extended period of time.
 
MATCH #17: PORTLAND STATE (6-10, 2-3) vs. MONTANA STATE (9-7, 4-1)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING MONTANA STATE: The Montana State Bobcats responded to a 3-0 loss to Portland State in Bozeman on Sept. 27, with three straight wins over Northern Arizona (3-2 on Oct. 2), Northern Colorado (3-1 on Oct. 4) and Montana (3-2 on Oct. 11). The Bobcats' victory over Montana last Saturday moved them into a tie with Weber State for the conference lead heading into this week. The Bobcats have earned a share of the top spot in the standings despite not being dominant in any one statistical category. They instead rank consistently in the middle of the conference in all categories. The highest they rank within the Big Sky in any one category is fourth with 1.60 aces per set. But the lowest they rank is eighth with 10.9 assists per set. Everything else is in between. That steadiness carries over individually, as five different Bobcats rank among the Big Sky leaders in their respective categories. Karli Heidemann leads the offense for the Bobcats, ranking eighth in the Big Sky with 3.16 kills per set. Setter Teagan Jaynes ranks third with 9.10 assists per set, while Camryn Greenwald ranks fifth with a .360 hitting percentage. Jaynes and Lauren Lindseth also rank fifth and eighth, respectively, with 0.35 and 0.32 aces per set. Defensively, Lindseth ranks second in the conference with 4.73 digs per set while Joelie Spelts ranks 10th with 0.98 blocks per set. In their first match against the Vikings this season, the Bobcats hit .128, their lowest mark within a Big Sky match this season. Elli Tufto led the Bobcats with nine kills in the match, five of which came in the third set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings won their 50th match all-time against the Bobcats three weeks earlier via a 3-0 sweep in Bozeman on Sept. 27. The Vikings are now 50-27-1 all-time against the Bobcats. They've won the last two meetings as well as four of the last five. The Bobcats' last victory over the Vikings came in four sets in Bozeman on Nov. 18, 2023. The Bobcats last won in Portland on Nov. 11, 2021.
 
MATCH #18: PORTLAND STATE (6-10, 2-3) vs. MONTANA (11-5, 3-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING MONTANA: The Montana Grizzlies would have held a share of the Big Sky lead if they had beaten rival Montana State last Saturday. Instead, they head into the week ranked a game back of conference leaders Weber State and Montana State at 3-2 in Big Sky play. The Grizzlies swept Sacramento State and Idaho to open the conference season, extending what was a 10-match winning streak at the time. Northern Colorado snapped that streak with a four-set win over the Grizzlies in Missoula on Oct. 2. The Grizzlies bounced back with a four-set home win over Northern Arizona two days later, but then fell in five sets last Saturday to the Bobcats. The Grizzlies' hot start to the season means they've already beaten their preseason predictions. After missing the Big Sky tournament last season, conference coaches picked the Grizzlies to finish ninth in the preseason coaches poll. The Grizzlies are outperforming that projection behind an offense that leads the Big Sky in kills (13.9) and assists (12.7) per set, as well as a defense that leads the conference and ranks fifth nationally with 17.6 digs per set. The Grizzlies also rank second in the conference and 42nd nationally while holding opposing teams to .175 hitting this season. Individually, libero Alexis Batezel leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally with 5.02 digs per set. Setter Gracie Cagle tops the conference with 9.61 assists per set while she also ranks third in the conference with 0.41 aces per set. Delaney Russell leads the teams' attackers with 3.51 kills per set, ranking her third in the conference. Olivia LaBeau and Sydney Pierce rank seventh and eighth in the conference for hitting percentage with .352 and .349, respectively. Pierce also ranks ninth in the conference with 0.31 aces per set. Carley Spachman leads the Grizzlies at the net, ranking third in the conference with 1.19 blocks per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Grizzlies, 58-21. The home team has won the last seven matches in the series. The last road team to win was the Vikings, who beat the Grizzlies in five sets on Oct. 14, 2021. The Grizzlies haven't won in Portland since Oct. 22, 2015.
 
QUICK HITTERS

• The Vikings dropped both matches of a road trip to Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado last week, losing both matches in four sets. The Vikings have now lost three in a row, all in four sets, after opening Big Sky play 2-0.
• All three opponents during the Vikings' current losing streak have hit .246 or better against the Vikings. Sacramento State set a season high for a Portland State opponent by hitting .322 against the Vikings on Oct. 3. In the Vikings' two conference wins, they held Idaho State to .145 hitting on Sept. 25 and Montana State to .128 (a season low for a PSU opponent) on Sept. 27.
• After averaging 2.31 blocks per set during non-conference play, the Vikings are averaging just 1.33 blocks per set within Big Sky play. Outside of the Vikings' 9.0 blocks in their 3-0 win over Montana State on Sept. 27, they've recorded 5.0 or less in all other Big Sky matches so far.
• The Vikings are 4-1 when winning the first set this season versus 2-9 when losing the first set. They've dropped the opening set in all three of their recent losses.
• The Vikings snapped a four-match streak of hitting .200+ by hitting .140 against Northern Arizona last Thursday. Their .111 hitting percentage against Northern Colorado last Saturday marked a new season low.
• The Vikings recorded 12 aces against Northern Colorado last Saturday, their most in a Big Sky road match since they had 14 against Weber State on Oct. 12, 2012. The Vikings head into this week ranked third in the Big Sky and 81st nationally with 1.67 aces per set as a team. They lead the conference with 1.78 aces per set within Big Sky play.
• Allison Panter leads the conference while also ranking 30th nationally with 0.49 aces per set individually. Teammates Paige Stepaniuk and Ava Blascziek rank seventh and 10th in the Big Sky, respectively, with 0.33 and 0.29 aces per set.
• Alivia Eikenberg has recorded a double-double in all five Big Sky matches so far and has nine total this season. Her nine double-doubles are the second most by a PSU freshman, trailing only Garyn Schlatter's 13 double-doubles in 2010. Eikenberg heads into this week ranked fourth in the Big Sky in kills (3.48) and third in points (3.91) per set this season. She's averaging 4.00 kills and 3.17 digs per set within Big Sky play.
• Tyra Schaub had a streak of four straight matches with 10+ kills snapped last week when she was held to eight kills at Northern Arizona Thursday and three kills at Northern Colorado Saturday. She's still averaging career bests for kills (2.28), hitting percentage (.179), digs (2.12) and aces (0.14) per set this season.
• Reese Biesemeyer and Naomi White rank ninth and 10th in the Big Sky for hitting percentage, respectively, hitting .315 and .311 this season. Biesemeyer is hitting .375 within Big Sky play, ranking her fourth in the conference.
• Paige Stepaniuk has earned two Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors this season. She picked up her second after the opening weekend of Big Sky play, when she led the Viking defense to a pair of seasonal-best performances against Idaho State and Montana State. Stepaniuk heads into this week ranked fifth in the conference with 3.68 digs per set.
• The Vikings are 4-2 in three-set matches this season, 1-4 in four-set matches and 1-4 in five-set matches.
• Ava Blascziek needs 116 more assists to reach 1,000 over her collegiate career. She had 607 total assists over two years at Temple, and has 277 so far this season as a Viking.
• Paige Stepaniuk needs 113 more digs to reach 1,000 in her Portland State career. When she reaches the milestone, she will become the ninth member of the 1k digs club during the program's Big Sky era (1996-present).
• After going 5-0 in two-point sets from Sept. 11-27, the Vikings dropped their second in a row last Thursday, losing the first set to Northern Arizona, 26-24. That was also only the third extra-point set that the Vikings have lost all season. They head into this week 10-8 in two-point sets this season, as well as 4-3 in sets that go to extra points.
• Naomi White ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 1.13 blocks per set. While her average has dropped to 0.89 blocks per set within Big Sky play, that may have to do more with others. White has been part of 16 of the Vikings' 24 blocks (66.7 percent) against conference opponents. She's the only active Viking averaging more than 0.29 blocks per set within Big Sky play.
• Head Coach Michael Seemann described his team's approach to fall camp as, "we've given up continuity for opportunity." To that end, all 16 players saw the court during the non-conference schedule. The Vikings played 12 or more players in five of their 11 non-conference matches and played 11 in three of the other six.
• The Vikings have 11 underclassmen on their 16-player roster, while the Vikings' six true freshmen represent the program's largest freshman class since 2019. Additionally, out of the three returning starters from last season, only junior libero Paige Stepaniuk has more than a year experience starting for the Vikings.
• Naomi White was named to the inaugural Preseason All-Big Sky Conference team before the start of the season. White, who was one of three middle blockers on the 10-member team, earned the honor after a breakout 2024 season in which she ranked fifth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.330) and ninth in blocks per set (1.04).
• The Vikings lost their top two hitters from last season – Makayla Lewis and Carisa Barron – as well as 66.5 percent of their total kills in 2024. Naomi White and Reese Biesemeyer represent the Vikings' top two returning hitters after averaging 1.96 and 1.65 kills per set, respectively.
• Head coach Michael Seemann needs 12 more wins to reach 300 in his Portland State career. Whenever he reaches the milestone, he will become the third different Portland State head women's volleyball coach to reach 300 wins. Seemann will join Marlene Piper (445 wins, program record, 1969-72 & 1974-83) and Jeff Mozzochi (317 wins, 1984-92 & 2001-06).
• Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings to finish sixth in the 10-team Big Sky Conference before the start of the season. Weber State represents the Big Sky Conference favorites, topping the preseason coaches poll with five first-place votes.