Vikings Focused on Strong Starts over Tough Road Trip to Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado

Match Notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team will look to have a short memory this week as the Vikings face a difficult road trip to Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado this Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

The Vikings are coming off a 3-1 loss to Sacramento State last Friday, their first conference loss of the season. A win over the Hornets would have given the Vikings their first 3-0 start to Big Sky play since 2017.

But that's in the past now. A 3-0 start doesn't mean anything at the end of the season, and the Vikings still find themselves among a crowded top of the Big Sky standings. Montana and Montana State top the conference at 3-1 in Big Sky play, but the Vikings sit a half-game back from them at 2-1, tied with Sacramento State and Weber State. Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado sit just a half-game back from the Vikings, Hornets and Wildcats at 2-2 in Big Sky play.

That's the nature of conference standings this early in the season. Fast starts help, but teams will separate themselves with how they finish the season when teams hope to be playing their best volleyball.

A few needed improvements became apparent for the Vikings in last Friday's loss to Sacramento State. Simply put, the Hornets had it too easy offensively against the Vikings. The Hornets set a season high for a Viking opponent with a .322 hitting percentage. No team had hit over .300 against the Vikings this season, as Oregon set the previous best for a Viking opponent when the Ducks hit .299 against Portland State on Sept. 19.

It was a surprising showing considering the Viking defense set back-to-back opponent season lows for hitting percentage just a week earlier. The Vikings held Idaho State to .145 hitting in their Big Sky opener on Sept. 25, then bettered that while holding Montana State to .128 hitting on Sept. 27.

The Vikings were better in serve receive in both of those matches, however. Idaho State and Montana State combined for just nine aces against the Vikings over the opening week of Big Sky play, while the Hornets recorded eight. And several other serves led to easy kills for the Hornets.

The difference between the two weekends was how the Vikings started the matches. The Vikings won the first sets against Idaho State and Montana State en route to a pair of 3-0 sweeps. But they dropped the opening set against Sacramento State and then couldn't mount a comeback. The Vikings have been better front runners than comeback artists this season. They are 4-1 when winning the first set of matches this season compared to 2-7 when losing the opener.

A strong start was especially important in the Vikings' road victory over Montana State two weeks ago. The Vikings outhit the Bobcats .320-to-.091 in the opening set, while closing the set by winning 13 of the final 18 points. That remains the Bobcats' lone conference loss this season.

The Vikings can help themselves with strong starts at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado this week. Both the Lumberjacks and Bears are strong home teams. NAU heads into the week 4-0 at home while the Bears are 3-1.

The Lumberjacks' perfect home record includes a 3-0 weekend at their home tournament, as they swept UC San Diego, Texas Tech and Southern Utah in three straight matches from Sept. 11-13. They also swept Idaho at home to open Big Sky play on Sept. 25, meaning they've swept all four opponents they've faced in Flagstaff this season.

The Lumberjacks sport the league's best defense as they lead the conference while ranking 16th nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.156). They also rank second in the conference and eighth nationally with 17.5 digs per set.

Offensively, the Lumberjacks are no slouches, either. Hannah Stoddard, a preseason all-conference selection, leads the Big Sky while ranking 11th nationally with 4.65 kills per set. She also tops the conference in points (5.04) and attacks (12.8) per set, while Stoddard leads the Lumberjacks with 3.62 digs per set.

Stoddard and the NAU defense led the Lumberjacks to the best non-conference record within the Big Sky Conference this season at 10-3.

Northern Colorado had more mixed results over non-conference play. The Bears posted a few standout wins, including a five-set, season-opening victory over Washington out of the Big Ten Conference on Aug. 29. They also pushed then-No. 18 BYU to five sets in a road match on Sept. 4, part of three five-sets losses at the BYU Classic, Sept. 4-6.

The Bears have split both of their conference weekends so far. They lost in three sets at Weber State on Sept. 25 before beating Eastern Washington in four sets at home on Sept. 27. They handed Montana its first conference loss with a four-set win last Thursday, but then dropped a four-set match to Montana State last Saturday.

The Lumberjacks have split their Big Sky matches so far, as well. They swept Idaho and Idaho State to open Big Sky play 2-0, but then fell on the road to Montana State and Montana last weekend.

Such are the fluctuations within any conference season. The Vikings experienced that themselves between the first weekend of Big Sky play to the next. This weekend's matches on the road against Northern Arizona (Thursday, 6:30 p.m. PT) and Northern Colorado (Saturday, 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT) just represent the next challenge.

It'd help if the Vikings start that challenge on the right foot.

MATCH #15: PORTLAND STATE (6-8, 2-1) vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA (12-5, 2-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m. PT, Flagstaff, Ariz. (Rolle Activity Center)
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA: The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks posted the best non-conference record within the Big Sky Conference, going 10-3 over the preseason. That record included a perfect 3-0 record at their home tournament, Sept. 11-13, when they swept UC San Diego, Texas Tech and Southern Utah in three straight matches. The Lumberjacks continued their strong start through the first week of the conference season, sweeping Idaho and Idaho State to open Big Sky play 2-0. The Lumberjacks fell back down to earth a bit last weekend, losing road matches to Montana State, 3-2, and Montana, 3-1, last Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Defense has led the Lumberjacks to their strong start to the season. They lead the Big Sky Conference while ranking 16th nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.156) while also ranking second in the conference and eighth nationally with 17.5 digs per set. Gigi Greenlee leads the conference with 1.32 blocks per set individually, while Hannah Stoddard and Melia Barlow lead the back row with 3.62 and 3.51 digs per set, respectively. Stoddard, a preseason all-conference selection, has also been dominant offensively for the Lumberjacks. She leads the Big Sky while ranking 11th nationally with 4.65 kills per set. She also tops the conference in points (5.04) and attacks (12.8) per set. Greenlee ranks second on the team with 2.52 kills per set while leading the team with a .402 hitting percentage that ranks her second in the conference and 34th nationally. As a team, the Lumberjacks rank second in the conference in both hitting percentage (.246) and kills per set (13.4). The Lumberjacks have been an especially strong home team, going 4-0 in Flagstaff so far this season versus a 3-4 record on the road.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 32-26. The Lumberjacks snapped a five-game PSU winning streak in the series with a 3-0 sweep in Flagstaff on Nov. 7 last season. The Vikings had won their previous two matches in Flagstaff in 2022 and 2023, but are just 9-18 in Flagstaff as a program.

MATCH #16: PORTLAND STATE (6-8, 2-1) vs. NORTHERN COLORADO (5-11, 2-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT, Greeley, Colo. (Bank of Colorado Arena)
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Northern Colorado Bears opened the season with a 3-2 home win over Washington out of the Big Ten Conference on Aug. 29. They also pushed then-No. 18 BYU to five sets in a road match on Sept. 4, part of three five-sets losses at the BYU Classic, Sept. 4-6. The Bears beat Air Force – a team that beat the Vikings in four sets on Aug. 30 – before closing non-conference play with another five-set loss to Denver on Sept. 20. The Bears have split their four Big Sky matches so far this season, losing in three sets on the road to Weber State on Sept. 25, before beating Eastern Washington at home on Sept. 27. They then split their road trip to the Montana schools last weekend, beating Montana in four sets on Oct. 2 before losing in four sets to Montana State on Oct. 4. The mixed results mean the Bears rank in the middle of the conference in most statistical categories. They rank sixth in hitting percentage (.203) and seventh in kills per set (12.0) offensively. Defensively, they drop to ninth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.231), as well as eighth in digs (12.8) and ninth in blocks (1.93) per set. Individually, Alayna Tessena and Isabel Bennett were both named to the preseason all-conference team. Tessena leads the Bears while ranking 10th in the conference with 3.12 kills per set. Bryn Reines ranks second on the team with 2.57 kills per set, while Zoe Gibbs ranks third at 2.08. Gibbs ranks sixth in the conference and 80th nationally with a .366 hitting percentage to lead the Bears in terms of efficiency. Bennett leads the Bears with 0.97 blocks per set, while Bella LePore leads the team with 2.88 digs per set. The Bears have been stronger at home than on the road this season. They're 3-1 at Bank of Colorado Arena versus 2-10 away from their home arena.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 25-22. They've won their last three matches against the Vikings, as well as 16 of their last 19 matches. The Bears have won their last seven home matches against the Vikings, with the Vikings' last win in Greeley coming on Oct. 10, 2013.

QUICK HITTERS

The Vikings picked up their first conference loss of the season last Friday, falling in four sets to Sacramento State. The loss spoiled the Vikings' hopes of starting 3-0 in Big Sky play for the first time since 2017.
Sacramento State set a season high for a Portland State opponent by hitting .322 against the Vikings Friday. No team had hit over .300 against the Vikings before the Hornets as Oregon set the previous best for a PSU opponent at .299 on Sept. 19.
Sacramento State's season high opponent hitting percentage came a week after the Vikings set back-to-back opponent season lows in a pair of 3-0 sweeps of Idaho State and Montana State. The Vikings held Idaho State to .145 hitting on Sept. 25, then topped that by holding Montana State to .128 hitting on Sept. 27.
The Vikings hit .253 against the Hornets last Friday, their second-best mark of the season. They've hit over .200 in their last four matches, increasing their mark each time (Oregon State, .217; Idaho State, .221; Montana State, .238; Sacramento State, .253).
Alivia Eikenberg recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 18 kills and 20 digs against Sacramento State Friday. Eikenberg's seven double-doubles are the fifth-most in a season by a Viking freshman since 2010. She heads into this week ranked third in the Big Sky in kills (3.47) and fourth in points (3.91) per set this season. She's averaging 4.40 kills and 3.60 digs per set within Big Sky play.
Tyra Schaub has recorded 10+ kills in four straight matches, including 14 kills on .268 hitting against Sacramento State last Friday. Schaub, a senior, came into the year having recorded 10+ kills in only two matches in her career. She's averaging 3.40 kills per set on .227 hitting within Big Sky play.
Reese Biesemeyer leads the Big Sky with a .486 hitting percentage within league play when she's also averaging 1.80 kills per set. Biesemeyer and fellow middle blocker Naomi White rank ninth and 10th in the conference for hitting percentage across all matches this season, hitting .336 and .326, respectively.
Allison Panter recorded three aces against Sacramento State Friday, her fifth match with at least three aces this season. Panter, who has recorded at least one ace in seven straight matches, leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 27th nationally with 0.52 aces per set. That would set a new single-season program record during the 25-point scoring format (2008-present) if the season ended today.
Paige Stepaniuk earned Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors after the opening weekend of Big Sky play, her second weekly honor out of the previous three weeks at the time. Stepaniuk heads into this week ranked fifth in the conference with 3.78 digs per set. She's averaging 4.80 digs per set within Big Sky play.
The Vikings have a better record away from home – 2-2 in true road matches, 3-3 in neutral-site matches – than they do at Viking Pavilion (1-3) so far this season.
The Vikings are 4-2 in three-set matches this season, 1-2 in four-set matches and 1-4 in five-set matches.
The Vikings are 4-1 when winning the first set this season versus 2-7 when losing the first set. Their two comeback wins came over New Mexico and California Baptist on back-to-back days, Sept. 11-12, at The Joust Tournament.
After averaging only 9.0 kills per set in their matches against Oregon and Oregon State during the week before Big Sky play, the Vikings have averaged 14.0 kills per set on .239 hitting since the start of Big Sky play. They rank second in the conference in hitting percentage within league play and fourth in kills per set.
The Vikings lost their first two-point set since Sept. 6, falling 25-23 in the second set against Sacramento State last Friday. The Vikings had won five straight two-point sets before dropping the second set to the Hornets. They're 10-7 in two-points this season, as well as 4-2 in sets that go into extra points.
The Vikings rank sixth in the Big Sky and 136th nationally with 2.16 blocks per set season. They recorded 10+ blocks in six of 11 non-conference matches but have yet to top that mark against a Big Sky opponent. The Vikings rank tied for last in the conference with only 1.50 blocks per set within league play.
Naomi White ranks fourth in the Big Sky and 99th nationally with 1.18 blocks per set. Her average has dropped to 1.00 blocks per set within Big Sky play, however, when she's also averaging fewer kills per set (0.90 in Big Sky play vs. 1.40 in non-conference matches).
The Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky and 111th nationally with 1.62 aces per set as a team.
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.