PORTLAND, Ore. — The last time a Portland State volleyball player had as many kills as freshman
Alivia Eikenberg had Thursday in leading the Vikings to a 3-1 victory over Eastern Washington at Viking Pavilion, Eikenberg was a month away from turning four years old.
That may make some readers feel old. But that's nothing compared to how Eikenberg made the Eagles (2-18, 0-8) feel as she recorded 28 kills on .380 hitting to go with 16 digs and an ace. It's the most kills by a Viking since Whitney Phillips also had 28 kills against Montana State on Sept. 17, 2010. You'd have to go back a little further to Aug. 27, 2010, when Phillips had 32 kills against Seattle University, to find a match where a Viking had more than 28 kills.
"She grows more and more confident every time she plays," Portland State head volleyball coach
Michael Seemann said of Eikenberg. "I'm proud of her. Every single match that she plays, she just grows and grows and grows."
Eikenberg showed it'd be a special night for her early in the match. She recorded kills on eight of her nine swings in the first set, hitting .889 in the opening frame. She recorded at least six kills in all four sets for the Vikings (8-11, 4-4).
Eikenberg's play was the backbone of a season's best performance from the Viking offense. The Vikings hit a season-high .329 against the Eagles, more than 50 percentage points higher than their previous season high of .272, which came against Cal State Fullerton on Sept. 13.
Naomi White and
Tyra Schaub added 10 kills each for the Vikings, while
Sydney Stenson chipped in nine kills on .421 hitting.
The seasonal best for the offense came on the same night that setter
Ava Blascziek reached 1,000 career assists. Blascziek hit the milestone late in the third set before finishing with a sixth straight double-double of 38 assists and 10 digs.
Still, the Vikings needed a reignition after a disappointing second set leveled the match. After the Vikings finished the first set with 13 kills on their last 18 swings in the frame, they were a little stagnant at the start of the second. The Eagles, meanwhile, shook off a first set in which they hit just .030 to find their groove and stretch out a lead on the Vikings. They led 18-10 in the second set, at which point they were hitting .522 in the frame.
"The killer instinct was not there," Seemann said of the change from the first to the second set. "You start a match with something to prove, and then you win the first set, and it just felt like we were checking the box."
The Vikings found their mojo again with a few key changes. The team shifted to a 5-1 after starting the match in a 6-2, leaving Blascziek on the court as the team's lone setter.
Reese Biesemeyer – on the bench for the first two sets – also entered the lineup as the middle blocker opposite White.
Biesemeyer made an immediate impact, recording two kills in an opening 7-0 PSU run to start the third set. She'd go on to finish with four kills on seven swings and two blocks, all of which came after the second set.
"What Reese is really good at is understanding what the scouting report is, what their strengths are, and where to be. I think when there is a team that's lopsided, or they have strengths in a certain area but not all the way across the front line, that's where she does really well," Seemann said of Biesemeyer's impact after the second set.
"She didn't get a lot of stuff blocks, but she touched them up really well. She was in the right place at the right time."
The Vikings also distributed the ball a bit better over the final two sets. Stenson recorded five of her nine kills over the final two sets. Additionally, she was one of three different players to record three kills in the fourth set, giving the Vikings other options besides Eikenberg in the attack.
Offensively, the Vikings ended up outhitting the Eagles in all but the second set. They hit over .400 in the first (17 kills, .441 hitting) and fourth sets (17 kills, .429 hitting), while they recorded at least 16 kills in the other two.
Defensively, outside of the second set, the Vikings held the Eagles to .156 or below. And while the Eagles out-blocked the Vikings 8.0-to-4.0, the Vikings out-dug the Eagles 71-to-53.
Paige Stepaniuk led all players with 19 digs in the match. Eikenberg was next with 16 digs, giving the freshman her eighth straight double-double and 12th of the season. Blascziek and Schaub added 10 digs each.
The Vikings will turn the page quickly, as they have an afternoon match against Idaho Saturday at 2 p.m. Thursday's win gave the Vikings a chance at a home sweep, an opportunity Seemann is eager to pounce on given that the Vikings will close the season with five of their last seven matches on the road.
"We're getting ready to go on a tough trip here. It'd be awesome to get a nice home sweep, going 3-1 over the last two weeks at home, and head out on the road with a little more confidence," Seemann said.
If Eikenberg or another Viking puts together a performance like Thursday, then Seemann has to like his team's chances.
Match Notes:
- The Vikings improved to 38-31 all-time against the Eagles with the win.
- The Vikings are 6-1 when winning the opening set now, compared to 2-10 when they lose the opening set.
- The Vikings' 25-13 victory in the first set tied their largest margin of victory in any set this season, matching their second-set victory in their season opener against Jacksonville State on Aug. 29.
- The Vikings are 4-0 in Big Sky play when holding opponents below .200 hitting now (EWU is hitting .178 in the match), compared to 0-4 when they don't.
- The next 1k milestone for the Vikings will likely be Stepaniuk, who moved within 51 digs of 1,000 in her career after Thursday.
- Schaub's 10 kills and 10 digs gave her a third straight double-double and fifth of the season.
