Countdown to Friday! Vikings Open Season This Weekend at Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic

Tournament Notes (PDF)

FIRST SERVE
The quote of fall camp for the Portland State volleyball team came from head coach Michael Seemann.

When talking about how his team had worked to integrate its largest freshman class since 2019 on a roster that features 11 underclassmen out of 16 total players, Seemann said: "We've given up continuity for opportunity."

What he meant by that was, rather than commit to a certain lineup too, his staff opted to move pieces in and out to see who could play the best together.

It's now time to test those pieces in an actual match as the Vikings open their season this weekend at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, Aug. 29-30, hosted by the Air Force Academy. The Vikings play neutral-site matches against Jacksonville State and Seattle U on the opening day of the season, Aug. 29, before closing out the tournament against host Air Force on Aug. 30.

Despite shuffling players around in fall camp, the Vikings go into the season knowing a few key strengths.

One comes from the middle and right side where the Vikings figure to have a plethora of options available. That was part of the reason Seemann tried out so many different combinations in fall camp because he should have several different pairings that will work in the middle and on the right.

Starting middle blockers Naomi White and Reese Biesemeyer return from last season. White was named to the preseason All-Big Sky Conference team last week after a breakout sophomore season in which she ranked fifth in the conference for hitting percentage (.330) and ninth in blocks per set (1.04). Biesemeyer, meanwhile, returns after ranking seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.326) and finishing second on the team with 23 total aces.

They'll have company this year, though, from a group of three freshmen middle blockers in Katie Brewer, Brenna Coffman and Willow Watson. Seemann used all five in heavy rotation during fall camp, both on the middle and the right. Traditional right-side hitter Amber Walker also saw time on the right side of the net, as did setters Allison Panter and Elisabeth Levick.

The strong presence at the net should help bolster the Viking defense, which Seemann sees taking a step forward this season. Junior libero Paige Stepaniuk represents the most experienced player on the Vikings' roster, having started each of the past two years. She'll have company from fellow defensive specialists Jessica Truong and Cali-Jo Shigemasa. Freshman outside hitter Alivia Eikenberg also figures to boost the Vikings' first contact, after recording a double-double of 10 kills and a match-high 16 digs in the Vikings' exhibition against Corban last week.

What may take some time to come is the offense. The Vikings lost their top two hitters from last season in Makayla Lewis and Carisa Barron, as well as 66.5 percent of their total kills. Eikenberg figures to help replace some of that, as will upperclassmen Tyra Schaub and Sydney Stenson.

Setter Ava Blascziek steps in to stir the drink for the Vikings alongside Panter and Levick. Blascziek joined the Vikings from Temple University ahead of winter term last school year and has been training with the Vikings ever since.

The Vikings won't be alone this weekend in figuring things out. Jacksonville State, Seattle U and Air Force all have their own position battles or growing pains to work out themselves.

Jacksonville State, the Vikings' first opponent at 10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT Friday, were picked to finish 11th in a 12-team Conference USA. Seattle U (2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT Friday) and Air Force (12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT Saturday), meanwhile, were both picked to finish last in their leagues, the West Coast and Mountain West Conferences, respectively.

Jacksonville State has a known commodity, at least, in preseason Conference USA selection Kayla Williams. A CUSA second-team selection last season, Williams returns for the Gamecocks after leading her league in kills (4.11) and points (4.56) per set while also ranking eighth with 39 total service aces.

She, along with other players from Seattle U and Air Force, figures to test the Vikings' supposed defensive strength from the get-go when the season opens for both teams Friday. You don't know anything until you see it against an opponent across the net, after all.

No matter what happens this weekend, Seemann has said he'll continue to seek opportunities within his lineup throughout the preseason. It's an opportunity to learn. And as the saying goes – and especially with the start of the season – opportunity knocks.

MATCH #1: PORTLAND STATE (0-0) vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE (0-0)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Aug. 29, 10 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. MT, USAF Academy, Colo. (Cadet East Gym)
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE: Conference USA head coaches picked the Jacksonville State Gamecocks to finish 11th in the 12-team league in their annual preseason poll after they went 10-21 overall and 3-15 within CUSA play last season. Senior outside hitter Kayla Williams made the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team after earning second-team honors following the Gamecocks' 2024 fall season. Williams earned the honor after leading CUSA with 4.11 kills per set last season. She also led the league with 4.56 points per set, while she ranked eighth in CUSA with 39 total service aces. The Gamecocks were strongest from the service line last season, when they ranked second in CUSA with 1.65 aces per set as a team. Williams figures to lead the Jacksonville State offense again this season. The Gamecocks will have to replace last year's starting setter Ellie Garrett, who ranked third in CUSA with 9.32 assists per set. Ellie Fox represents the Gamecocks' only returning setter from last season, when she played in 17 sets across eight matches. Freshman Charlee Solomon and redshirt senior Karya Suvarioglu figure to challenge Fox for the starting spot. Defensively, the Gamecocks will have to replace last year's starting libero Brooklyn Schiffli, who ranked third in CUSA with 4.20 digs per set. Luci Wilkinson led the Gamecocks' returners with 2.36 digs per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Friday's season opener will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Jacksonville State.

MATCH #2: PORTLAND STATE (0-0) vs. SEATTLE U (0-0)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Aug. 29, 2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT, USAF Academy, Colo. (Cadet East Gym)
SCOUTING SEATTLE U: The Seattle U Redhawks went 8-19 overall and 6-10 within the Western Athletic Conference last season. The 2025 season will mark the Redhawks' first within the West Coast Conference (WCC), where they were picked to finish 12th out of 12 teams in the conference's preseason poll. Second-year head coach Dan Behnke will lead the Redhawks into the new conference this season. He'll do so with a relatively young roster that features only one true senior. The Redahwks will have to replace their top two hitters from last season in Arianna Bilby (3.29 k/s) and Merima Smajlovic (2.50 k/s). Middle blocker Yasemin Elmas represents the Redhawks' top returning hitter after averaging 1.63 kills per set last season. Right-side hitter Marley Hardgrave also returns after leading the Redhawks with 0.99 blocks per set, ranking her seventh in the WAC. In the back row, the Redhawks will have to replace last year's starting libero Katlyn Sipes, who ranked third in the WAC with 4.05 digs per set. The Redhawks returned both setters from last season in Elif Teksoy and Anae Asuncion, who averaged 6.24 and 4.59 assists per set, respectively.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Redhawks, 7-0. The teams have played only once since 2011, however, with the Vikings beating the Redhawks 3-1 in a neutral-site match at the Chiles Center on Sept. 17, 2022.

MATCH #3: PORTLAND STATE (0-0) vs. AIR FORCE (0-0)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Aug. 30, 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT, USAF Academy, Colo. (Cadet East Gym)
SCOUTING AIR FORCE: Mountain West Conference coaches picked the Air Force Academy Falcons to finish 12th in the 12-team league in their preseason coaches poll. The pick comes after the Falcons went 3-26 overall last season and 2-16 within the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons will look for a better 2025 season behind a big roster that features 19 players. The Falcons have the benefit of returning several key players from last season. Four of their five players who started at least 20 matches all return this fall, as well as starting libero Jordan Suan. Senior Ashley Bible represents the Falcons' top returning hitter from last season after ranking second on the team with 2.27 kills per set a year ago. The Falcons returned two of their three setters from last season in Mia Loyd (4.84 assists per set) and Greta Hans (3.55 a/s). Loyd and Bible also ranked second and third on the team with 0.22 and 0.21 aces per set, respectively, behind fellow returner Grace Fiaseu who led the Falcons with 0.23 aces per set in 2024. Defensively, Suan heads into her senior season this fall after leading the Falcons with 3.72 digs per set last season. Fiaseu led the Falcons at the net with 0.88 blocks per set, while fellow returner Lainie Stapleton added 0.86 blocks per set.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Falcons, 5-1. The teams haven't played since Aug. 25, 2007, however, when the Vikings beat the Falcons 3-0 on the road.

STORYLINES/STREAKS/RECORDS

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, of the three returning starters from last season, only junior libero Paige Stepaniuk has more than a year experience starting for the Vikings.
A .200 hitting percentage was the magic number for the Vikings last season. They were 8-4 when hitting over .200 and 0-16 when they didn't. Additionally, they went 7-2 when holding their opponent under .200 hitting but 1-18 when their opponent hit over .200.
The Vikings went 6-18 in sets decided by two points last season.
The Vikings struggled on the road last season. Within Big Sky Conference play, the Vikings averaged more kills (12.6 at home, 11.6 on the road), aces (1.90 vs. 1.13), digs (15.0 vs. 13.3) and blocks (2.07 vs. 1.90) per set when playing at home versus the road, while also hitting a better percentage (.196 vs. .167) and holding opponents to a lower hitting percentage (.200 vs. .273).
The Vikings were a strong serving team last season, ranking fifth in the Big Sky with 1.53 aces per set. Allison Panter ranked sixth in the conference with 0.36 aces per set individually.
Naomi White was named to the inaugural Preseason All-Big Sky Conference team this past Friday. 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).
Reese Biesemeyer ranked seventh in the Big Sky with a .326 hitting percentage as a freshman last season. She also ranked second on the team with 23 total aces.
Paige Stepaniuk ranked eighth in the Big Sky with 3.31 digs per set last season. She had four matches with 20+ digs last season, including a career-high 30 digs in a win over Eastern Washington on Oct. 31.
Naomi White and Reese Biesemeyer helped lead the Vikings' middle blockers to 367 total kills last season. That was the Vikings' most kills from their middle blockers since 2017.
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 18 more wins to reach 300 in his Portland State. 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).
Head Coach Michael Seemann described his team's approach to fall camp as, "we've given up continuity for opportunity." That's because the Vikings have had to incorporate 11 underclassmen on their 16-player roster that includes the program's largest true freshman class (6) since 2019.
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.