Vikings Open Three Straight Road Matches to Finish Regular Season at Sacramento State Friday

Game Notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team will close out its regular season with three straight matches on the road, starting Friday at 7 p.m. against Sacramento State.

The road finish to the season will test a Portland State team looking to move up in the conference standings ahead of the Big Sky Tournament, Nov. 24-26, in Greeley, Colo. The Vikings know they'll be playing in the tournament but could still finish anywhere from second to eighth.

Friday's road match at Sacramento State will likely be the toughest of the remaining three. The Hornets are 9-4 at home this season, including a 6-1 home record against Big Sky opponents. The Vikings have had their own struggles playing the Hornets at the Nest, where they're just 6-28 all-time.

But the Vikings don't have to go back too far to find a success story at The Nest. On Nov. 18, 2022, the Vikings erased a 5-0 deficit at the start of the fifth set to beat the Hornets. That closed the regular season for the Vikings that year, and the momentum of that win launched the Vikings into a run to the Big Sky championship match at the conference tournament the following week.

The Vikings will look to launch themselves with a win like that Friday. Both the Vikings and Hornets will be coming off highly competitive matches against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. Both teams went 1-1 against those two opponents, beating the opposite team from one another. The Vikings beat Northern Colorado, 3-1, Thursday before losing to Northern Arizona, 3-1, Saturday. The Hornets were just the opposite, beating NAU in five sets Thursday, before losing in five sets to UNC Saturday.

For the Vikings, their win over Northern Colorado represented a high point for them both offensively and defensively. Offensively, the Vikings became the first team in over a month to hit over .200 against the defensive-minded Bears, hitting .211. Five different players recorded at least seven kills for the Vikings between Alivia Eikenberg (16 kills), Tyra Schaub (12), Brenna Coffman (8), Naomi White (8) and Sydney Stenson (7). Defensively, the Vikings held Northern Colorado to .151 hitting, the lowest mark for the Bears since Oct. 2. The Vikings out-blocked the Bears 9.0-to-6.0 at the net, with Stenson and White both leading the way with six blocks each.

The block was what was missing for the Vikings in Saturday's match against Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks out-blocked the Vikings 13.0-to-3.0, including 11.0-to-0.0 outside of the second set of that match.

That hurt the Vikings, who otherwise set a season high with 97 digs – their most in a match since 2019 – and got career performances from Schaub and Reese Biesemeyer. Schaub recorded 19 kills on .209 hitting – one kill off her career high – while adding a career-high 20 digs on her Senior Night. Biesemeyer, meanwhile, came off the bench late in the first set to set a new career high with 12 kills on .500 hitting.

The Vikings have been particularly strong offensively since the start of their match against Montana State on Oct. 16. The Vikings are averaging 14.3 kills per set on .232 hitting over their last eight matches, a significant jump over their averages before Oct. 16, when they were averaging just 11.9 kills per set on .195 hitting.

Eikenberg and Schaub are averaging 4.18 and 3.35 kills per set, respectively, over those last eight matches. The pair of outside hitters are also averaging 2.79 and 2.85 digs per set during that time.

Setter Ava Blascziek, meanwhile, is averaging 8.85 assists per set since Oct. 16, while she's led the Vikings to over .200 hitting in six of their last eight matches.

The one aspect of the Vikings' offense that has dropped over their last eight matches has been their serving. Specifically, the last seven matches when the Vikings are averaging just 1.03 aces per set. Their last five opponents have all out-aced the Vikings.

They'll need to be better in that regard if they hope to beat the Hornets Friday. The Hornets come into the match leading the Big Sky and ranked 20th nationally with 1.91 aces per set. Setter Kate Doorn leads the conference with 0.44 aces per set this season. Three different Hornets rank in the top four of the conference in aces per set within conference matches. Doorn tops the conference again with 0.56 aces per set against Big Sky opponents, but teammates Reese Ampi and Keonahi'ilani Solaita rank second and fourth with 0.42 and 0.40 aces per set, respectively.

The serving fuels a potent Sacramento State offense that leads the Big Sky and ranks 41st nationally with a .256 hitting percentage. Victoria Marthaler leads the conference in kills (4.98) and points (5.46) per set individually, averages that also rank her seventh and eighth nationally in either category. Middle blocker Ashlyn Archer also tops the conference and ranks fourth nationally with a .441 hitting percentage.

The Vikings will have their hands full against the Hornets Friday, then. But it's a good test ahead of the Big Sky tournament in just under two weeks.

The tournament will be on the road, too, after all, as Northern Colorado hosts as last season's regular-season champion. So, a road win Friday would go a long way in building belief that the Vikings can get it done in Greeley, too.

MATCH #25: PORTLAND STATE (11-13, 7-6) vs. SACRAMENTO STATE (16-9, 9-4)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. PT, Sacramento, Calif. (The Nest)
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE: The Sacramento State Hornets had a seven-match winning streak snapped as Northern Colorado came back from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Hornets in five sets last Saturday. That gave the Bears the season sweep of the Hornets, while the Hornets' other two conference losses came on the road to Montana, 3-0, on Sept. 25, and Northern Arizona, 3-2, on Oct. 11. The Hornets avenged both losses at home, beating the Grizzlies in five sets on Oct. 16, and then the Lumberjacks – also in five sets – last Thursday. Statistically, the Hornets represent the most efficient offense within the Big Sky Conference. They're hitting .256 as a team, ranking them first in the conference and 41st nationally. They also top the conference with 1.91 aces per set, an average that ranks them 20th nationally. Both numbers have gone up within Big Sky play, when the Hornets are hitting .270 while averaging 2.08 aces per set. A number of Hornets lead the conference individually. Victoria Marthaler leads the conference in kills (4.98) and points (5.46) per set, averages that also rank her seventh and eighth, respectively, in the nation. Ashlynn Archer tops the conference and ranks fourth in the NCAA with a .441 hitting percentage, while she also ranks seventh in the conference with 1.04 blocks per set. Kate Doorn doesn't rank as high nationally, but still leads the Big Sky and ranks 35th nationally with 0.44 aces per set. She also ranks third in the conference with 9.15 assists per set. Marthaler led the Hornets to their 3-1 win over the Vikings in Portland on Oct. 3. She recorded 28 kills on .397 hitting to go with 14 digs in the match. Behind her, the Hornets outhit the Vikings .322-to-.253, with the .322 hitting percentage marking a season high for a Viking opponent. Archer had 12 kills on .500 hitting against the Vikings, while Doorn had 46 assists and 14 digs.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Hornets lead the all-time series between them and Vikings, 55-28. They've been especially strong at home where they're 28-6 all-time against the Vikings. The Hornets have won their last three home matches against the Vikings, with PSU's last win coming in five sets on Nov. 18, 2022.

QUICK HITTERS
Recent Matches

The Vikings split their last two home matches of the season, beating Northern Colorado, 3-1, Thursday, before losing to conference leader Northern Arizona, 3-1, on Saturday.
Four of the eight sets the Vikings played against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona were decided by two points and went past 25 points. The Vikings split those four sets, 2-2, which is in line with the Vikings' season-long record in close sets. The Vikings are 15-15 this season in sets decided by two points, while they're 7-8 in sets that go into extra points.
The Vikings have been tied, 1-1, after two sets in each of their last three matches. They won their matches against Idaho State (Nov. 1) and Northern Colorado (Nov. 6), but lost the match against Northern Arizona (Nov. 8).
The Vikings outhit Northern Colorado .211-to.-.151 Thursday. They were the first team to hit over .200 against the Bears – one of the Big Sky's best defenses – since Montana State on Oct. 4. Additionally, the .151 hitting percentage was the Bears' lowest since their match against Montana on Oct. 2.
The Vikings set a season high with 97 digs against Northern Arizona Saturday. It was the Vikings' most digs in a match since they recorded 105 against Idaho State on Oct. 12, 2019.
The Vikings have used 11 or more players in each of their last seven matches. They used 13 of their 15-available players twice during that stretch, between wins over Idaho (Oct. 25) and Idaho State (Nov. 1).
Friday's match will be the first of three straight on the road to finish the regular season. The Vikings play at Idaho, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m., before finishing the regular season at Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m.

Players
#2 Paige Stepaniuk

Paige Stepaniuk received Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season Monday. Stepaniuk also earned the honor on Sept. 15 after leading the Vikings to a 3-0 record at The Joust Tournament, and Sept. 29 after leading the Vikings to a 2-0 start to Big Sky play.
Stepaniuk reached 1,000 career digs in the third set of the Vikings' win at Idaho State on Nov. 1. Her 18 digs against Northern Colorado last Thursday also moved her past current assistant coach Diana Villalpando (2007-10) and Garyn Schlatter (2010-13) for seventh all-time during the program's Big Sky era (1996-present)
Stepaniuk is averaging a career-best 4.06 digs per set this season, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky Conference. Stepaniuk has three matches with 25 or more digs out of the Vikings' last eight, including 26 digs in Saturday's match against Northern Arizona.

#18 Alivia Eikenberg

Freshman Alivia Eikenberg has recorded 10+ kills in all 13 Big Sky matches so far this season. That includes back-to-back double-doubles last week against Northern Colorado (16k, 13d) and Northern Arizona (17k, 16d).
Eikenberg has 15 doubles-doubles this season, one shy of the freshman record of 16 that Melissa Osterloh set in 2004. The single-season record during the current 25-point scoring format (2008-present) stands at 19, which Whitney Phillips set in 2010.
Eikenberg ranks third in the Big Sky in kills (3.73) and points (4.13) per set this season. Within Big Sky play, Eikenberg's averages go up to 4.12 kills and 4.47 points per set within conference play.
Eikenberg had 28 kills against Eastern Washington on Oct. 23, the most kills by a Viking since Whitney Phillips also had 28 against Montana State on Sept. 17, 2010.

#24 Tyra Schaub

Senior Tyra Schaub posted a career match on her Senior Night Saturday, recording 19 kills on .209 hitting – one kill off her career high – while adding a career-high 20 digs against Northern Arizona. It was her second double-double of the weekend and seventh of the season.
Schaub is averaging 3.35 kills per set on .208 hitting over the team's last eight matches when she's also averaging 2.85 digs per set.
Schaub has recorded 10+ kills in seven of the Vikings' last eight matches, a stretch that started when she set a career high with 20 kills against Montana State on Oct. 16. Schaub came into the season with only two matches with 10+ kills in her career, but has done it 13 times as a senior.

#23 Ava Blascziek

Setter Ava Blascziek has set or tied career highs for kills (4), attacks (7, twice), assists (51), aces (3), digs (16), blocks (2.0), and points (7.0) over the Vikings' last eight matches.
She's recorded 30 or more assists in seven of the Vikings' last eight matches, including a career-high 51 in the Vikings' five-set win over Idaho on Oct. 25. She's averaging 8.85 assists per set over the team's last eight matches, significantly higher than her average of 5.43 assists per set going into the stretch.
Blascziek's increased output has led the Vikings to hitting over .200 in six of their last eight matches. They're also averaging significantly more kills per set in their last eight matches (14.3) than they were going into the stretch (11.9).
Blascziek ranks seventh in the Big Sky Conference with 6.80 assists per set over the entire season.

#8 Naomi White

Middle blocker Naomi White has hit .350 or better with at least eight kills in six of the Vikings' last eight matches. That stretch started with a career-high 16 kills against Montana State on Oct. 16, and also includes a career-best .522 hitting percentage when she had 13 kills against Montana on Oct. 18.
White's averaging 2.29 kills per set on .414 hitting since the start of the Vikings' match against Montana State on Oct. 16.
White ranks seventh in the Big Sky and 87th nationally with a .355 hitting percentage across all matches this season. She also ranks eighth in the conference with 1.03 blocks per set.

#3 Brenna Coffman

Brenna Coffman has played both as a right side and a middle blocker for the Vikings over the last two weekends.
She set career highs for kills in back-to-back matches. She had seven kills on .217 hitting against Idaho State on Nov. 1, then topped that with eight kills on .190 hitting against Northern Colorado on Nov. 6.

#21 Reese Biesemeyer

Reese Biesemeyer was an impact sub in both matches last weekend. Against Northern Colorado last Thursday, she subbed on at the start of the third set and helped the Vikings break a 1-1 tie with three kills and two blocks over the last two sets. She then came on late in the first set against Northern Arizona Saturday and recorded a career-high 12 kills on .500 hitting against the Lumberjacks.
Biesemeyer heads into Friday's match ranked 10th in the Big Sky Conference with a .323 hitting percentage.

#6 Allison Panter

Allison Panter ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 0.37 aces per set. However, she has not recorded an ace in her last seven matches and only has one ace in her last 10.
She recorded her first double-double of the season with 16 assists and 14 digs against Northern Arizona Saturday.

Team Tendencies/Stats

The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky with 13.7 kills per set within conference matches. That's thanks to a red-hot eight-match stretch for the Vikings since the start of their match against Montana State on Oct. 16. The Vikings are averaging 14.3 kills per set on .232 hitting since Oct. 16, significant improvements over their averages going into that stretch. Before Oct. 16, the Vikings were averaging only 11.9 kills per set on .195 hitting.
The Vikings are 8-1 this season when winning the first set compared to 3-12 when losing the first set. The Vikings only have one conference win when losing the first set, which came against Idaho on Oct. 25, when the Vikings reverse swept the Vandals at Viking Pavilion.
The Vikings are 6-0 when holding their opponent below .200 hitting in Big Sky matches versus 1-6 when their opponent hits above .200. The one exception to the rule came at Idaho State on Nov. 1, when the Vikings beat the Bengals, 3-1, despite the Bengals hitting .222.
The Vikings out-blocked Northern Colorado 9.0-to-6.0 Thursday, only the fourth time the Vikings have out-blocked a conference opponent. The Vikings are averaging 1.50 blocks per set within Big Sky play, down from 2.31 blocks per set during non-conference play. Some of that can be explained by the absence of Willow Watson, the Vikings' starting right-side hitter until she went down with an injury against Sacramento State on Oct. 3.
The last five opponents have all out-aced the Vikings, who are averaging just 1.03 aces per set over their last seven matches. Despite the recent cold stretch, the Vikings still rank fourth in the Big Sky with 1.47 aces per set.

General/Preseason Info

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 seven 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.