FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team will chase a higher seed at the Big Sky tournament next week as the Vikings close out the regular season at Idaho (Wednesday, 6 p.m.) and Eastern Washington (Friday, 11 a.m.).
 
The Vikings would be the seventh seed if the tournament started today, but could climb as high as the fifth seed if they win both matches this week and have other results go their way.
 
As much as two wins would help the Vikings' tournament seeding, the likely bigger benefit would be the momentum the Vikings would gain.
 
The Vikings have played three straight highly competitive matches against the top three teams in the conference between Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State. They opened that stretch with a 3-1 win over Northern Colorado in which they recorded the best hitting percentage against the Bears in over a month. But a pair of 3-1 losses to Northern Arizona and Sacramento State followed, leaving the Vikings hungry to get back in the win column.
 
Neither of the two recent losses were something for the Vikings to hang their head on. They recorded a season-high 97 digs against Northern Arizona on Nov. 8, while they became just the second Big Sky team to hold Sacramento State to under .200 hitting last Friday.
 
The Vikings appeared to turn a corner this season when they fought off match point to beat Montana State on Oct. 16. Since the start of that match, the Viking offense is averaging 14.2 kills per set on .223 hitting. Those are much better averages than they had before Oct. 16, when they were averaging just 11.9 kills per set on .195 hitting.
 
Defensively, the Vikings have averaged 17.1 digs per set while holding opponents to .203 hitting since Oct. 16. Again, that's much improved over their averages before Oct. 16, when they were averaging just 13.3 digs per set while opponents were hitting .233 against them.
 
Individually, Paige Stepaniuk is averaging 4.92 digs per set since Oct. 16, compared to 3.68 digs per set before that date. Tyra Schaub is also averaging 3.34 kills per set on .210 hitting to go with 2.92 digs per set since Oct. 16. She's recorded 10+ kills in nine of the Vikings' 10 matches since that date, including a career-high 20 kills against Montana State, and two matches with 19 kills.
 
Alivia Eikenberg has had a dominant run since mid-October. She's averaging 4.37 kills and 2.71 digs per set since Oct. 16. That includes three 20-kill matches between the Vikings' matches against Montana State (23 kills) on Oct. 16, Eastern Washington (28 kills) on Oct. 23, and Sacramento State (24 kills) last Friday.
 
Eikenberg's 28 kills came on .380 hitting against the Eagles. The 28 kills were the most by a Viking in a match since Sept. 17, 2010, when Whitney Phillips also had 28 kills against Montana State.
 
Eikenberg's big match against the Eagles led the Vikings to a season-high .329 hitting as a team. They hit .441 in the first set, finishing the opening set with 13 kills on their last 18 swings in the frame. The Eagles answered with a .351 hitting percentage in the second set to level the match at 1-1, but the Vikings reasserted themselves over the final two sets to win in four.
 
The Vikings would love another strong match against the Eagles Friday. First would come their match against the Vandals on Wednesday, however.
 
The Vikings had an adventurous match against the Vandals the first time the teams played each other this season on Oct. 25. The Vandals won the first two sets. The Vikings were hitting in the negative the majority of the first set while the Vandals were siding out at 80 percent. But the Vikings bounced back with two strong offensive sets to level the match, then won the fifth, 15-10, to complete the program's first reverse sweep since Oct. 19, 2023.
 
Eikenberg, again, helped key the comeback. She recorded 14 of her match-high 17 kills while hitting .242 over the final three sets of the match. Schaub recorded seven of her 12 kills in the third and fourth sets, while middle blocker Naomi White recorded seven of her 11 kills over the final three sets when she hit .500.
 
Freshman Brenna Coffman subbed on in the middle of the third set and recorded five of her six kills over the final two frames. That included the two most important kills in the fifth set. She started a 5-0 run that got the Vikings to match point with a kill, then finished it with a kill on match point a few points later.
 
Coffman has been a key piece of late for the Vikings, as she's played on both the right side and in the middle over the past three weekends. Coffman has set career highs for kills (8), digs (9), blocks (8) and points (9, twice) in the Vikings' four matches since Nov. 1. That included eight blocks in the Vikings' match at Sacramento State last Friday, when the Vikings tied their conference season high with 10 as a team.
 
The Vandals and Eagles have both been eliminated from contention for a Big Sky tournament berth. They'll still be looking to end their seasons on a positive note, just as much as the Vikings will be looking for momentum ahead of the tournament.
 
The end of the regular season comes closer to the start of the conference tournament than in years past. Friday marks the end of the regular season for all Big Sky teams, just three days before quarterfinal matches start Monday at the Big Sky tournament.
 
It stands to reason that whoever wins next week's tournament will do so after setting themselves up well this week. The Vikings hope to do just that on the road at Idaho and Eastern Washington.
 
MATCH #26: PORTLAND STATE (11-14, 7-7) vs. IDAHO (5-21, 2-12)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 6 p.m. PT, Moscow, Idaho (Memorial Gym)
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Idaho Vandals were eliminated from Big Sky tournament contention last weekend, losing a pair of 3-0 matches on the road at Montana and Montana State. Even still, after three straight seasons finishing 10th in the Big Sky standings, the Vandals can do no worse than finish tied for ninth this season. They put themselves in that position after sweeping their season series against Eastern Washington. They beat the Eagles, 3-0, on the road on Oct. 3, then topped them in four sets at home on Nov. 1. The Vandals are 0-12 against all other Big Sky teams, though they've had some close losses. They played three five-set matches in a four-match stretch between Oct. 16-25, going the distance against Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona and Portland State. The Vandals' losses to UNC and PSU were both reverse sweeps. Against the Vikings, the Vandals' defense frustrated the PSU offense through two sets, holding the Vikings to 20 kills on .095 hitting combined between the first two frames. The Vikings woke up after that, though, averaging 16.5 kills per set on .286 hitting over the next two sets. Overall this season, the Vandals rank highest within the Big Sky Conference in digs, ranking fourth in the league with 14.9 digs per set as a team. They also rank seventh in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.212). Offensively, the Vandals rank ninth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.152), kills (11.7) and aces (1.2) per set, ahead of the Eagles but behind all other teams. Individually, Kiana Greer leads the Vandals with 3.31 kills per set, an average that ranks he fifth in the Big Sky this season. Clayton White ranks second on the team with 2.91 kills per set, while she leads the Vandals with 0.26 aces per set. Defensively, Kyriah Trefren leads the back row with 3.04 digs per set, with Greer second on the team with 2.56. Koen Makaula leads the Vandals at the net with 0.82 blocks per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and Vandals, 24-9. The Vikings have won seven matches in a row against the Vandals, including a 3-2, reverse sweep in Portland on Oct. 25 earlier this season. The Vandals last beat the Vikings, 3-2, in Portland on Jan. 25, 2021, during the winter COVID season.
 
MATCH #27: PORTLAND STATE (11-14, 7-7) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (2-24, 0-14)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. PT, Cheney, Wash. (Reese Court)
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON: The Eastern Washington Eagles have had a tough season, losing 16 straight matches – including all 14 Big Sky matches – entering the final week of the regular season. The Eagles came closest to a conference win in their opening match of league play against Montana State on Sept. 24. They led the Bobcats, 2-1, in that match at home but then dropped the next two sets to fall in five. All of the Eagles' other conference losses have either come in three or four sets. That includes a four-set loss to the Vikings in Portland on Oct. 23. The Vikings and Eagles traded dominant sets in the first two frames of that match. The Vikings hit .441 in winning the opening set, while the Eagles responded by hitting .351 in the second frame. The Vikings ultimately won it behind a season-high .329 hitting percentage and a dominant 28 kills individually from freshman Alivia Eikenberg. Statistically, the Eagles' biggest strength is at the net, where they rank second in the Big Sky Conference with 2.40 blocks per set this season. The Eagles rank last in the conference in all other categories. Individually, Judith Bolomboy leads the Eagles and ranks sixth in the conference with 1.06 blocks per set. Alyssa Radke ranks second on the team with 0.95 blocks per set, while Quincey McCoy ranks third at 0.80. Kalista Lukovich leads the Eagles with 3.19 kills per set offensively, ranking her eighth in the conference this season. Quincy Moran ranks second on the team with 2.46 kills per set, though she hasn't played since the Eagles' match against Idaho State on Oct. 11. Radke ranks third on the team with 2.25 kills per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and Eagles, 38-31. They've won their last three matches against the Eagles, including a 3-1 win in Portland on Oct. 23. The Vikings lost their last match in Cheney, however, dropping a four-set match on Oct. 5, 2023.  
 
QUICK HITTERS
Recent Matches

• The Vikings dropped a heartbreaker Friday at Sacramento State, fighting off three match points in the fourth set before falling 30-28 in extra points. A lift call on the Vikings broke a 28-all tie in the fourth set, while a red card was issued to head coach Michael Seemann to give the final point to the Hornets.
• The Vikings played three straight matches against the top three teams in the Big Sky Conference. They beat Northern Colorado, 3-1, on Nov. 6, but then dropped a pair of tightly contested four-set matches to Northern Arizona on Nov. 8 and Sacramento State on Nov. 14.
• Six of the last 12 sets the Vikings have played against Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State have been decided by two points and went past 25 points. The Vikings are 2-4 in those six sets. They went 0-2 in such sets against Sacramento State last Friday, losing the first set, 26-24, and the fourth set, 30-28. The Vikings are 15-17 this season in sets decided by two points, while they're 7-10 in sets that go into extra points.
• The Vikings have been tied, 1-1, after two sets in each of their last four matches. They won their matches against Idaho State (Nov. 1) and Northern Colorado (Nov. 6) but lost their matches against Northern Arizona (Nov. 8) and Sacramento State (Nov. 14). The Vikings won the first set in the two matches they won, and lost the opener in the two they dropped.
• The Vikings held Sacramento State – the Big Sky's leading team to hitting percentage – to well below their average Friday. The Hornets hit just .191 against the Vikings, making Portland State the first Big Sky team other than Northern Colorado to hold the Hornets to below .200 hitting.
• Sacramento State held the Vikings to .153 hitting last Friday. That was the Vikings' lowest hitting percentage since Northern Colorado held them to a season-low .111 hitting percentage on Oct. 11.
• The Vikings tied their conference season high with 10.0 blocks against the Hornets last Friday. Naomi White and Brenna Coffman led the Vikings with eight blocks each. For White, the eight blocks tied her season high, while Coffman set a career high.
• The Vikings have used 11 or more players in each of their last eight matches. They used 13 of their 15-available players twice during that stretch, between wins over Idaho (Oct. 25) and Idaho State (Nov. 1).
• The Vikings will close the regular season with three straight road matches. Last Friday's match at Sacramento State started the run, while this week's matches at Idaho (Wednesday, 6 p.m.) and Eastern Washington (Friday, 11 a.m.) close it out.

 
Players
#2 Paige Stepaniuk

• Paige Stepaniuk is a three-time Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week this season and is currently going through the best stretch of her career. Since Oct. 16, Stepaniuk is averaging 4.92 digs per set, a huge jump up from her average before Oct. 16 when she was averaging just 3.68 digs per set.
• 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 on Nov. 6 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). She needs 62 digs to pass the next player on the list.
• Stepaniuk is averaging a career-best 4.15 digs per set this season, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky Conference. Stepaniuk has four matches with 25 or more digs since Oct. 16, including two back-to-back heading into this week between 26 digs against Northern Arizona on Nov. 8 and 25 digs last Friday at Sacramento State.  

 
#18 Alivia Eikenberg

• Freshman Alivia Eikenberg has recorded 10+ kills in all 14 Big Sky matches so far this season, including her fourth 20-kill match of the season this past Friday when she had 24 kills at Sacramento State.
• Eikenberg has 15 doubles-doubles this season, one shy of the freshman record of 16 that Melissa Osterloh set in 2004. The overall 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 (3.82) and points (4.20) per set this season. Since Oct. 16, Eikenberg is averaging 4.37 kills per set on .183 hitting to go with 2.71 digs per set.
• 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, recording 19 kills on .209 hitting – one kill off her career high – while adding a career-high 20 digs against Northern Arizona on Nov. 8.
• Schaub recorded her third straight double-double and eighth of the season with 13 kills on .229 hitting to go with 14 digs last Friday at Sacramento State.
• Since Oct. 16, Schaub is averaging 3.34 kills per set on .210 hitting to go with 2.92 digs per set.
• Schaub has recorded 10+ kills in eight of the Vikings' last nine 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 14 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) while leading the Vikings' offensive resurgence since Oct. 16.
• She's recorded 30 or more assists in eight of the Vikings' last nine matches, including a career-high 51 in the Vikings' five-set win over Idaho on Oct. 25. She's averaging 8.84 assists per set since Oct. 16, significantly higher than her average of 5.43 assists per set before Oct. 16.
• Blascziek's led the Vikings to .200+ hitting in six of their last nine matches. They're also averaging significantly more kills per set since Oct. 16 (14.2) than they were before that date (11.9).
• Blascziek ranks seventh in the Big Sky Conference with 6.89 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 nine matches. That stretch started when White set a career-high with 16 kills against Montana State on Oct. 16. It also includes a career-best .522 hitting percentage when she had 13 kills against Montana on Oct. 18.
• White was held to just three kills on .000 hitting last Friday at Sacramento State. However, she countered with eight blocks, tying her season high and leading the Vikings to 10.0 blocks as a team. The 10.0 blocks tied the Vikings' conference season high.
• White's averaging 2.13 kills per set on .365 hitting since Oct. 16.
• White ranks fifth in the Big Sky with 1.07 blocks per set this season. She also ranks seventh in the conference with a .336 hitting percentage across all matches.

 
#3 Brenna Coffman

• Freshman Brenna Coffman has played both as a right side and a middle blocker for the Vikings over the last three weekends.
• Since Nov. 1, she's set career highs for kills (8), digs (9), blocks (8) and points (9, twice).
• 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.
• She had five kills on .250 hitting to go with eight blocks against Sacramento State last Friday. The eight blocks set a new career high for the freshman, who helped lead the Vikings to 10.0 blocks as a team, tying their conference season high.

 
#21 Reese Biesemeyer

• Reese Biesemeyer came on late in the first set against Northern Arizona on Nov. 8 and recorded career highs for both kills (12) and hitting percentage (.500) against the Lumberjacks.
• Biesemeyer heads into this week ranked 10th in the Big Sky Conference with a .316 hitting percentage.

 
#6 Allison Panter

• Allison Panter ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 0.36 aces per set. However, she has not recorded an ace in her last eight matches and only has one ace in her last 11.
• She recorded her first double-double of the season with 16 assists and 14 digs against Northern Arizona on Nov. 8.

 
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 stretch for the Vikings since the start of their match against Montana State on Oct. 16. The Vikings are averaging 14.2 kills per set on .223 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 3-13 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 6-1 when holding their opponent below .200 hitting in Big Sky matches versus 1-6 when their opponent hits above .200. They lost their first conference match when holding their opponent below .200 hitting when Sacramento State beat them last Friday despite hitting just .191. The Vikings' lone win when their opponent hit above .200 came against Idaho State on Nov. 1, when they beat the Bengals, 3-1, despite ISU hitting .222.
• The Vikings tied their conference season high with 10.0 blocks against Sacramento State last Friday. However, the Vikings rank last in the Big Sky with just 1.57 blocks per set within Big Sky play. That average is 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 Vikings out-aced the Hornets, 4-to-3, last Friday. That was the first time in the Vikings' last six matches in which they've out-aced their opponent. Since Oct. 16, the Vikings are averaging just 1.03 aces per set over their last eight matches. Despite that, they still rank fourth in the Big Sky with 1.46 aces per set over the whole season.

 
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.