Vikings Close Out Home Schedule against Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona

Game Notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team closes out its home schedule with two of the top three teams in the Big Sky Conference, hosting Northern Colorado (Thursday, 7 p.m.) and Northern Arizona (Saturday, 7 p.m.) this weekend at Viking Pavilion.

Both the Bears and Lumberjacks beat the Vikings in four sets earlier this season. NAU topped the Vikings on Oct. 9, while the Bears beat the Vikings two days later, outhitting them .272-to-.111. The .111 hitting percentage marked a season low for the Vikings, which still stands heading into Thursday's rematch.

The Viking offense bounced back immediately after that road weekend at NAU and UNC, however. They set a season high with 78 kills in a five-set win over Montana State on Oct. 16, a match that kicked off a strong six-match streak leading into this weekend. The Vikings have hit .231 or better in five of their last six matches, including a season-high .329 against Eastern Washington on Oct. 23.

The Vikings are averaging 14.2 kills per set on .247 hitting over their last six matches, a sharp uptick from what they were averaging before the start of the streak (11.9 kills per set, .195 hitting).

Setter Ava Blascziek has been a key piece in the Vikings' offensive turnaround. She's recorded 38 or more assists in five of the team's last six matches when she's reset her career high three different times. She initially set her career high with 42 assists against Montana State on Oct. 16, then topped that two days later with 47 assists and 16 digs (also a career high) against Montana. Blascziek surpassed 50 assists for the first time in her career with 51 against Idaho on Oct. 25.

In the Vikings' 3-1 win over Idaho State Saturday, Blascziek set or tied her career highs for kills (4) and aces (3), recording a kill and an ace back-to-back to close out the match in the fourth set. Blascziek added 42 assists and eight digs to her offensive totals.

Alivia Eikenberg has been the frequent beneficiary of Blascziek's distribution. She's recorded 10+ kills in all 11 Big Sky matches this season, as she's averaging 4.11 kills per set within the conference season. The Vikings' recent six-match hot streak offensively includes two 20-kill matches for Eikenberg. She had 23 kills on .200 hitting against Montana State on Oct. 16, then topped that with 28 kills on .380 hitting against Eastern Washington on Oct. 23. The 28 kills against the Eagles were the most by a Viking in a match since Whitney Phillips had 28 kills against Montana State on Sept. 17, 2010.

Tyra Schaub has recorded 10+ kills in nine of the Vikings' last 12 matches. That includes a team-high 16 kills on .222 hitting against the Bengals Saturday.

Naomi White had a streak of four matches with 10+ kills – the longest such streak of her career – snapped at Weber State Thursday. She bounced back with nine kills on .471 hitting against Idaho State. She heads into this week averaging 2.38 kills per set on .438 hitting over the team's last six matches.

The new element for the Viking offense last weekend was freshman Brenna Coffman on the right. She debuted at the new position against Weber State Thursday, but truly broke out when she started Saturday's match against the Bengals with three straight kills on her first three swings of the match. Coffman finished the match with career highs for kills (7), digs (9) and points (8.5) in the Vikings' win over the Bengals.

The Viking offense will be tested against the Bears and Lumberjacks this weekend. The teams represent the top two defenses in the Big Sky Conference within league play. NAU tops the conference with an opponent hitting percentage of .157 against Big Sky opponents, while the Bears rank right behind them at .169. The Bears have a sizable lead over the third-ranked defense in the conference, as Idaho State ranks third with an opponent hitting percentage of .200 within Big Sky play.

The Bears will be coming off a busy week last week. They pushed then-No. 23 Colorado to five sets before falling last Tuesday, then swept Montana State and Montana at home Thursday and Saturday. The Bears' 3-0 sweep of Montana State last Thursday avenged an earlier four-set road loss to the Bobcats.

The Bears' top three offensive players all had strong matches against the Vikings the last time they faced each other. Brynn Reines, Alayna Tessena and Zoe Gibbs all had double-digit kills in the Bears' 3-1 win over the Vikings in Greeley. Reines recorded 14 kills on .345 hitting to lead the Bears, while Tessena followed with 13 kills on. 250 hitting and Gibbs had 12 kills on .450 hitting.

The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, take a seven-match winning streak into the weekend, a streak that started with their four-set win over the Vikings on Oct. 9. The Lumberjacks' win streak includes a 3-0 sweep of Northern Colorado on Oct. 24, a win that gave the Lumberjacks sole possession of first place in the Big Sky standings.

Hannah Stoddard leads a potent NAU offense that ranks second in the conference in kills (13.0) and assists (12.2) per set across all matches this season. NAU also ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage (.239). Stoddard ranks second in the Big Sky with 4.07 kills per set this season. Gigi Greenlee ranks second on the team with 2.45 kills per set while she ranks second in the conference and 39th nationally with a .387 hitting percentage.

Those two led NAU in their win over the Vikings. Stoddard led the Lumberjacks with 14 kills on .263 hitting and 11 digs, while Greenlee followed with 11 kills on .304 hitting against the Vikings.

The Vikings will have to be better against those two when they meet NAU again Saturday. There will be extra incentive for the Vikings on Saturday, as they say goodbye to seniors Tyra Schaub and Sydney Stenson ahead of the match.

It's all part of saying goodbye to Viking Pavilion for another year.

MATCH #23: PORTLAND STATE (10-12, 6-5) vs. NORTHERN COLORADO (11-13, 8-3)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO: The Northern Colorado Bears are coming off a busy week, as they took then-No. 23 Colorado to five sets last Tuesday, then followed with a home sweep of Montana State and Montana last Thursday and Saturday. The Bears' 3-0 sweep of Montana State last Thursday avenged an earlier four-set road loss to the Bobcats. The Bears' other conference losses came to Weber State, 3-0, on Sept. 24, and Northern Arizona, 3-0, on Oct. 24. Statistically, the Bears rank third in the conference in both kills per set (13.5) and hitting percentage (.226) within Big Sky play. That's just above the Vikings, who rank fourth in both categories. The Bears also rank second in the conference with an opponent hitting percentage of .169 in Big Sky matches. Individually, both Alayna Tessena and Brynn Reines average more than 3.00 kills per set within conference play. Tessena and Reines rank eighth and ninth with 3.19 and 3.10 kills per set, respectively, against Big Sky opponents. Zoe Gibbs and Isabel Bennett also both rank in the top 10 for hitting percentage at .396 (3rd) and .306 (9th), respectively, within conference play. Bennett leads the Bears with 0.95 blocks per set at the net, with Gibbs second on the team at 0.82. Bella LePore leads the Bears' back row with 3.09 digs per set. Reines, Tessena and Gibbs all had double-digit kills in the Bears' 3-1 win over the Vikings in Greeley earlier this season. Reines recorded 14 kills on .345 hitting to lead the Bears against the Vikings, while Tessena followed with 13 kills on. 250 hitting and Gibbs had 12 kills on .450 hitting. The Bears outhit the Vikings .272-to-.111 in the match, with the .111 hitting percentage marking the Vikings' season low.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 26-22. The Bears have won the last four matches in the series, including a 3-1 victory in Greeley on Oct. 11 earlier this season. The Vikings' last win in the series came at home on Sept. 23, 2023.

MATCH #24: PORTLAND STATE (10-12, 6-5) vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA (19-5, 9-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA: The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks take a seven-match winning streak into the weekend, a streak that started with a 3-1 victory over the Vikings in Flagstaff on Oct. 9. The Lumberjacks' win streak includes three five-set matches, as NAU earned close victories over Sacramento State on Oct. 11, Idaho on Oct. 18 and Montana State on Nov. 1. If the Lumberjacks beat Sacramento State Thursday, then they'll be the first team within the Big Sky Conference this season to reach 20 wins. Statistically, NAU's strong record means they rank near the top of the conference in most categories. They lead the conference while ranking eighth nationally in opponent hitting percentage (.153). They rank second in the conference in kills (13.0), assists (12.2), blocks (2.40) and digs (16.7) per set while they also rank second in hitting percentage (.239). Individually, Hannah Stoddard ranks second in the conference with 4.07 kills per set this season. Gigi Greenlee ranks second on the team with 2.45 kills per set while she ranks second in the conference and 39th nationally with a .387 hitting percentage this season. Greenlee also ranks second in the conference with 1.20 blocks per set. Three different players average more than 3.00 digs per set for the Lumberjacks between Melia Barlow (3.49), Stoddard (3.29) and Kylie Moran (3.20). Stoddard led the Lumberjacks with 14 kills on .263 hitting and 11 digs in NAU's four-set win over the Vikings earlier this season. Greenlee followed with 11 kills on .304 hitting against the Vikings, while NAU outhit the Vikings .246-to-.140 as a team.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 33-26. The Lumberjacks have won the last two in the series, including a 3-1 win in Flagstaff on Oct. 9 earlier this season. The Vikings had won five in a row against NAU before the Lumberjacks' two recent wins. That includes their last three home matches against the Lumberjacks, including the latest, a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 12, 2024.

QUICK HITTERS
Recent Matches

The Vikings split their matches at Weber State and Idaho State last weekend. They lost 3-0 to Weber State Thursday, before bouncing back with a 3-1 win at Idaho State Saturday.
The Wildcats recorded 15 aces against the Vikings Thursday, four more than any other Viking opponent this season. Idaho State followed up with nine aces Saturday. The Vikings' last three opponents have out-aced the Vikings, even though the Vikings are 2-1 in those three matches.
Saturday's win over Idaho State marked the first time the Vikings have won a conference match in which their opponent hit over .200. The Bengals hit .222 compared to .265 for the Vikings. Even still, the Vikings are 5-0 within Big Sky play when their opponent hits below .200 versus 1-5 when they don't.
Last weekend's matches were part of five of seven road matches for the Vikings to finish the season.
The Vikings have won four of their last six matches, including three of their last four at home.

Players

The Vikings tied a conference season high by playing 13 players against Idaho State Saturday. That included five of the team's six true freshmen, with the one exception being Willow Watson who has been out with an injury since the Vikings' match against Sacramento State on Oct. 3.
Freshman Alivia Eikenberg has recorded 10+ kills in all 11 Big Sky matches. That streak includes 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. She heads into this week ranked third in the Big Sky in both kills (3.69) and points (4.09) per set. Those averages put her on pace for freshman records in both categories. She's also three double-doubles shy of the freshman record of 16 that Melissa Osterloh set in 2004.
Libero Paige Stepaniuk reached 1,000 career digs in the third set of Saturday's match at Idaho State. She's only the ninth member of the 1,000-digs club during the program's Big Sky era (1996-present). She'll pass her assistant coach Diana Villalpando for eighth all-time with two more digs. Within this season, Stepaniuk is averaging a career-best 3.93 digs per set, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky Conference.
Setter Ava Blascziek set or tied career highs for kills (4) and aces (3) against Idaho State last Saturday while recording 42 assists and eight digs. She's recorded 38 or more assists in five of the team's last six matches, with the one exception being last Thursday's match at Weber State when she had 15. She's averaging 9.04 assists per set over the team's last six matches. For the season, she ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 6.65 assists per set.
Middle blocker Naomi White had a run of four straight matches with 10+ kills – the longest such streak of her career – snapped when she was held to three kills on eight total attacks last Thursday at Weber State. She bounced back with nine kills on .471 hitting against Idaho State. White heads into this week ranked seventh in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.358) and eighth in blocks per set (1.04).
Senior Tyra Schaub has recorded 10+ kills in five of the team's last six matches, as well as nine of the last 12. She's averaging career bests for kills (2.59) and digs (2.24) per set while hitting a career-best .193 this season.
Brenna Coffman debuted as a right-side hitter for the Vikings last weekend. She broke out in her new position Saturday at Idaho State where she set career highs for kills (7), digs (9) and points (8.5) while also leading the Vikings with three blocks.
Allison Panter ranks tied for third in the Big Sky with 0.40 aces per set. However, she has not recorded an ace in her last five matches, and only has one ace in her last eight. As a team, the Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky with 1.51 aces per set, but are averaging just 1.00 per set over the team's last five matches.

Team Tendencies/Stats

The Vikings broke a set-all tie against Idaho State Saturday with a 27-25, comeback win in the third set. That was the Vikings' first win in a set that went past 25 points out of their last four chances, and their first extra-point set win on the road since Sept. 27 when they won the third set at Montana State, 26-24. The Vikings are 13-13 in two-point sets this season and 5-6 in extra-point sets after last weekend.
The Vikings rank fourth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.225), kills (13.5) and assists (12.5) per set within conference matches. They've hit .231 or better in five of their last six matches, including a season-high .329 against Eastern Washington on Oct. 23.
The Vikings are 7-1 this season when winning the first set compared to 3-11 when losing the first set. The Vikings only have one conference win when losing the first set, which came against Idaho on Oct. 25 as the Vikings reverse swept the Vandals at Viking Pavilion.
The Vikings set a conference season high with 10.0 blocks against Idaho on Oct. 25. That was an outlier within Big Sky play, however. The Vikings are averaging just 1.50 blocks per set within Big Sky matches, 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 are 4-3 in three-set matches this season, 3-4 in four-set matches and 3-5 in five-set matches.

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 eight 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.