USAF ACADEMY, Colo. — The Portland State volleyball team had a difficult back-to-back schedule Friday at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic. And that was before the Vikings' first match went five sets against Jacksonville State.
 
Needless to say, a heartbreaking five-set loss to the Gamecocks (1-0) to open Friday bled into a 3-0 loss to Seattle U (1-0) as the Vikings opened their 2025 season 0-2. The Vikings played the Redhawks only about 90 minutes after their match against the Gamecocks finished, while the Redhawks went into the match completely fresh.
 
"We continue to see components of our roster shine in certain area," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said after both matches. "Our execution remains inconsistent. We had some players show growth today, but we still need to be more united as a team.
 
"Our goal is to strive for a more complete, comprehensive approach as a team tomorrow when we play Air Force."
 
Match #1 – Jacksonville State 3, Portland State 2 (25-22, 13-25, 20-25, 25-20, 17-15)
 
The Vikings battled back from an opening-set loss to take a 2-1 lead on the Gamecocks, then erased two match points late in the fifth set but still fell in extra points in their opening match of the season.
 
The initial comeback from the Vikings came behind its defense. It took a set for the defense to find itself after the Gamecocks outhit the Vikings .323-to-.267 in the opening frame. But the Vikings flipped the script in the second set, holding the Gamecocks to negative-.062.
 
Strong play at the net helped fuel the turnaround. The Vikings out-blocked the Gamecocks 4.0-to-0.0 in the second set, with preseason All-Big Sky selection Naomi White part of three of the four blocks. The Vikings out-blocked the Gamecocks 12.0-to-8.0 over the whole match, with White leading the way with eight blocks individually. The Vikings were already in double figures for blocks by midway through the third set, a mark they reached in only four matches last season.
 
Serving took over for the Vikings in the third set as they recorded five aces while running out to a 20-11 lead in the frame. The Gamecocks responded with an 8-0 run to get back within one, but serving again bailed the Vikings out as Allison Panter recorded her third ace of the set – matching the set total for Paige Stepaniuk – to give the Vikings a 22-19 lead.
 
While the Vikings eventually closed out the third, Jacksonville State's long run helped shift the momentum for the fourth set. The offense returned for the Gamecocks in the set, as they hit .333 even as the Vikings countered with 14 kills on .346 on the other side of the net.
 
The teams traded points at the start of the fifth set. Neither team led by more than a point until three straight Jacksonville State attack errors saw the Vikings go up 8-5. The Vikings still led 10-7 when the Gamecocks answered with a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead. A block between White and Alivia Eikenberg snapped the Gamecocks' run, while another Jax State attack error brought the Vikings back level at 13-all.
 
The Gamecocks claimed a match point at 14-13, but Panter erased that with a dump from her setter position. Eikenberg erased a second match point to make it 15-all, but the Gamecocks closed it out on their third try behind back-to-back kills from Kayla Williams and Sophia Schweikert.
 
Eikenberg led the Vikings with 19 kills on .286 hitting in what was the first match of her college career. Sydney Stenson also went into double figures with 10 kills on .226 hitting while adding 10 digs for the first double-double of her career.
 
Freshman Willow Watson added nine kills on .474 hitting while recording four blocks at the net.
 
Stepaniuk led the Vikings' back row with 19 digs to go with five assists and three aces.
 
Cali-Jo Shigemasa stepped into a setting role for the Vikings due to injuries and led the Vikings with 18 assists to go with seven digs and an ace.
 
Match #2 – Seattle U 3, Portland State 0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-19)
 
While the schedule didn't do the Vikings any favors going into their match against the Redhawks, the team responded well initially, earning chances in all three sets. But the tired legs hurt the Vikings on both sides of the net.
 
After PSU hit .246 in their match against Jacksonville State, that number dropped to .136 against the Redhawks. Additionally, while the Vikings held Jacksonville State to .166 hitting in their morning match, the Redhawks hit .284.
 
The Vikings had a chance to level the match at a set apiece when they went on a 3-0 run to lead 19-16 in the second set behind kills from Willow Watson and Tyra Schaub, and an ace from Allison Panter. The Redhawks responded with a 5-1 run to re-take the lead, however, then closed the set on a 3-0 run of their own.
 
The Vikings held a lead midway through the third set, too, after a kill from Naomi White gave the Vikings a 15-14 advantage. The Redhawks won eight of the next 10 points, however, to take control of the set and didn't look back from there.
 
Walker led the Vikings with nine kills on .444 hitting in the match. Panter nearly recorded a double-double with 14 assists and nine digs to go with two aces. Schaub added seven kills and five digs to go with an ace.
 
The Vikings have a lighter schedule ahead of them Saturday to conclude the tournament. They face off against host Air Force at 12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m. MT.
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