FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team will hope to solve its road woes this week as they play the first two of a three-match road trip at Idaho (Thursday, 6 p.m.) and Eastern Washington (Saturday, 12 p.m.).
 
The Vikings are still looking for their first true road win of the season. They nearly got it over a quality opponent in their last road match on Oct. 3. They took a 2-0 lead over an Idaho State team that was unbeaten in Big Sky play at the time but ended up falling in five sets.
 
The Vikings bounced back from that disappointment with a 3-1 home win over Montana this past Thursday. They had the chance at a weekend sweep two days later against Montana State, but a more-experienced Bobcat team won two tight sets as part of a 3-0 victory over the Vikings.
 
How the Vikings played late in sets was a key difference between the two matches last week. The Vikings saved three set points as part of a 5-0 run to close the first set against Montana. They also saved six set points to get to 24-all in the third set before losing that frame. They then finished the fourth set on a 4-0 run to close out the win after the Grizzlies had gotten it to 21-all.
 
Head coach Michael Seemann said after the match against Grizzlies that the level of focus the Vikings showed late in those sets had to become the team's "operating procedure."
 
The Vikings must figure a tight set on the road this week against either Idaho or Eastern Washington will require the same focus they showed against the Grizzlies.
 
It's an improved Idaho team that the Vikings will face this season. The Vandals went 9-3 during non-conference play, posting a winning record every week including a 3-0 mark at the New Orleans Invitational. They broke through within Big Sky play last Tuesday, beating Eastern Washington on the road in four sets after a 0-4 start to the conference season.
 
Both the Vikings and Vandals figure to challenge the other from the service line. The teams come into Thursday's match ranked second (PSU) and third (Idaho) in the Big Sky for aces per set. While the Vikings' Ava Blascziek leads the conference individually with 0.44 aces per set, the Vandals have a deep run of servers that all average 0.23 aces per set or above. Five different players are above that mark for the Vandals, led by Kiana Greer at 0.34 aces per set.
 
Greer also leads the Idaho offense with 3.39 kills per set, ranking them fourth in the Big Sky Conference.
 
The offensive approach from the Vandals will be an interesting contrast for the Vikings when they face a defensive-led team in Eastern Washington Saturday. The Eagles are an elite blocking team, ranking second in the Big Sky and 29th nationally with 2.66 blocks per set. They also rank fourth in the Big Sky and in the top 40 nationally in both digs per set (15.4) and opponent hitting percentage (.168).
 
Individually, two different Eagles rank among the top 10 of the Big Sky for blocks. Sidney Gray and Judith Bolomboy average 1.16 and 1.03 blocks per set, ranking them fifth and sixth in the Big Sky, respectively.
 
Offensively, the Eagles run through Kalista Lukovich who leads the conference and ranks 16th nationally with 4.40 kills per set. That's nearly double the next-closest Eagle as Aspyn Reed ranks second on the team with 2.22 kills per set.
 
It's been a while since the Vikings last beat the Eagles in Cheney. You'd have to go back to a reverse sweep in 2022 when the Vikings saved a match point in the third set.
 
The Vikings produced a bit of magic on the road that night. And that's what they'll try to recapture this week on the road.
 
MATCH #18: PORTLAND STATE (6-11, 2-4) vs. IDAHO (10-8, 1-5)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Oct. 15, 6 p.m. PT, Moscow, Idaho (Memorial Gym)
SCOUTING IDAHO:

• The Idaho Vandals broke through for their first conference win of the season last Tuesday, beating Eastern Washington 3-1 on the road. The Vandals won the first set, 29-27.
• Idaho also took a set off Northern Colorado last Saturday but fell in four sets to the Bears.
• The Vandals went 9-3 over their non-conference schedule. They posted winning records at all four preseason tournaments they played at, including a perfect 3-0 record at the New Orleans Invitational.
• Statistically, the Vandals rank highest in terms of their serving. They rank third in the Big Sky with 1.56 aces per set. Five different players average at least 0.23 aces per set between Kiana Greer (0.34), Csenge Krakoczki (0.32), Keira Kleidon (0.27), Kailee Wakatake (0.24) and Allie Ferrin (0.23).
• The Vandals also rank sixth in the Big Sky in terms of hitting percentage (.199) as well as seventh in kills (12.0) and assists (11.0) per set. Greer leads the team with 3.39 kills per set, ranking her fourth in the Big Sky. Sophie Danielson ranks second on the team with 2.05 kills per set.
• Defensively, the Vandals rank seventh in the Big Sky with 1.94 blocks per set. They rank eighth in opponent hitting percentage (.213) and 10th in digs per set (12.3).
• Koen Makaula leads the Vandals with 1.02 blocks per set, ranking her seventh in the Big Sky.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Vandals, 24-10.
• The Vikings had a seven-match winning streak over the Vandals snapped when Idaho beat them in three sets in Moscow last season. The Vandals also led the Vikings 2-0 in Portland earlier in the 2025 season, but the Vikings came back to reverse sweep the Vandals.
• The Vikings are 9-4 all-time against the Vandals in Moscow.

 
MATCH #19: PORTLAND STATE (6-11, 2-4) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (8-10, 2-4)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 17, 12 p.m. PT, Cheney, Wash. (Reese Court)
SCOUTING EASTERN WASHINGTON:

• The Eastern Washington Eagles won two of their first three Big Sky matches, beating Weber State and Montana in four sets on Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, respectively. They've dropped their three matches since that start, losing to Montana (3-1 on Oct. 3), Idaho (3-1 on Oct. 6) and Northern Colorado (3-0 on Oct. 8).
• The Eagles started the year 4-0, including a 3-1 win over a Seattle U team that the Vikings also beat in four sets in an exhibition before the start of the season. The Eagles have two other common opponents with the Vikings in Nevada and Portland. The Eagles lost in four sets to the Wolf Pack while they fell in three sets to Portland. The Vikings split two five-set matches to those two opponents on the opening weekend of the season.
• The Eagles are led by their defense. They are an exceptional blocking team, as they rank second in the Big Sky and 29th nationally with 2.66 blocks per set. Sidney Gray and Judith Bolomboy lead the team with 1.16 and 1.03 blocks per set, ranking them fifth and sixth in the Big Sky, respectively.
• The Eagles also rank fourth in the Big Sky and in the top 40 nationally in both digs per set (15.4) and opponent hitting percentage (.168). Elle Bruegman ranks fifth in the conference with 4.04 digs per set individually.
• Offensively, the Eagles rank ninth in the conference in hitting percentage (.172) while they rank 10th in kills (11.2), assists (10.1) and aces (1.21) per set.
• Kalista Lukovich leads the conference and ranks 16th nationally with 4.40 kills per set. Aspyn Reed ranks second on the team with 2.22 kills per set while Bria Carlisle ranks third with 1.48 kills per set.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Eagles, 38-32.
• The Vikings had won three in a row over the Eagles before Eastern Washington swept the Vikings in Cheney in last year's regular-season finale.
• The Vikings have lost their last two matches in Cheney. Their last road win over the Eagles came via a reverse sweep in which the Vikings saved a match point in the third set to win in five on Sept. 24, 2022.

 
QUICK HITTERS
Team Notes

• LAST WEEK: The Vikings split their matches against Montana and Montana State at home last week. The Vikings beat the Grizzlies in four sets last Thursday before the Bobcats swept the Vikings Saturday.
• END GAME: The Vikings played well at the end of sets against Montana. They saved three set points as part of a 5-0 run to finish the first set. They then broke a 21-all tie in the fourth set with a 4-0 run to finish the match. But they weren't as lucky against Montana State, losing the first 25-23 and the third set 25-22.
• TOUGH SERVING: The Vikings rank second in the Big Sky and 103rd nationally with 1.60 aces per set. They've recorded seven or more aces in 10 of their 17 matches this season, though they were held to seven total last week over their matches against Montana and Montana State. Ava Blascziek leads the Big Sky and ranks 67th nationally with 0.44 aces per set individually. She has twice finished with a career-high five aces in a match this season.
• FORMATION CHANGES: The Vikings have alternated between a 5-1 and 6-2 formation throughout this season and will likely continue to do so until the end of the year. The Vikings played in a 5-1 for the majority of their recent wins over Southern Utah and Montana. Head coach Michael Seemann said the formation allows the Vikings' defensive specialists to influence the match more and extend rallies. It worked in both recent wins. Against Southern Utah, the Vikings had four players finish with 10+ digs for the first time this season. Against Montana, the Vikings held the Grizzlies to .090 hitting, a conference season low for a Viking opponent.
• LITTLE BIG LEAGUE: Head coach Michael Seemann has repeatedly praised the team's "littles" – the team's affectionate nickname for their defensive specialists – as one of their major strengths. That proved true in the Vikings' win over Montana. Jessica Truong and Paige Stepaniuk shared the libero jersey throughout the match. Truong started at libero in the first set before Stepaniuk took over at the start of the second. They both played throughout the match. Stepaniuk finished with 17 digs and seven assists, recording her most digs since the opening weekend of the season. Truong, meanwhile, finished with 12 digs.
• BIESEMEYER GOES BEAST MODE: Junior middle blocker Reese Biesemeyer put together a stat line for the ages in the Vikings' win over Southern Utah on Sept. 26. She recorded eight kills on .667 hitting offensively while setting a career high with 10 blocks at the net. She has followed with eight blocks against Weber State and Montana over the last two weekends. She's averaging 1.55 blocks per set over the team's last five matches.
• BALANCED ATTACK: The Vikings had four players record 10+ kills against Montana last Thursday, the first time they've had that level of balance this season. Freshman Maryn Hall led that group with a career-high 16 kills. Alivia Eikenberg (14), Willow Watson (12) and Brenna Coffman (10) followed her into double figures. What was most encouraging was that the production came from the left (Hall & Eikenberg), middle (Coffman) and right (Watson). That has been an issue at time for the Vikings, particularly on the left where Eikenberg (2.58 k/s) and Hall (2.14 k/s) are the only two players averaging more than two kills per set this season.
• RIGHT SIDE, STRONG SIDE: While the Vikings may alternate between a 5-1 or 6-2, it's not for a lack of firepower on the right side. Willow Watson frequently has her best matches in Portland State wins. She had 10 kills on .474 hitting in the team's win over Southern Utah, then followed with 12 kills on .370 hitting in the victory over Montana. The Vikings are 3-1 this season when Watson records 10+ kills, including a perfect 2-0 in Big Sky play. Katarina Kosic, meanwhile, ranks ninth in the Big Sky with a .287 hitting percentage this season.
• UP-AND-DOWN OFFENSE: The Vikings have hit .150 or worse in seven of their last nine matches. The two exceptions have been the team's two Big Sky wins where they hit .294 against Southern Utah and .194 against Montana. Kill production has been an issue at times. They averaged just 9.5 kills per set over their four matches between Sept. 11-24. They've been better recently, averaging 12.5 kills per set over their last five matches.
• OLIGARCHY OF OFFENSE: Seven different players have led the Vikings in kills this season. Including ties, that list features Alivia Eikenberg (six times), Willow Watson (four times), Maryn Hall (three times), Ashley Repetti (three times), Katarina Kosic (two times), Brenna Coffman (once) and Jordyn Romano (once).
• NET PLAY: The Vikings set a season high with 14.0 blocks against Montana last Thursday. Reese Biesemeyer led the way with eight blocks while Brenna Coffman and Willow Watson added six and five, respectively. Blocking was an area head coach Michael Seemann said he hoped to see improvement this season. The Vikings have been up and down in that regard. They rank ninth in the Big Sky with 1.83 blocks per set. Biesemeyer ranks eighth individually with 1.00 blocks per set.
• ROAD WOES: If true road matches were thrown out, the Vikings would be 6-3 this season. They're 3-2 at home and 3-1 at neutral sites, but they're 0-8 on the road. Away matches have been a struggle the last two seasons for the Vikings within Big Sky play. The Vikings were 2-6 on the road against conference opponents in 2024 and 2025.
• YA DIG?: The Vikings rank sixth in the Big Sky with 14.4 digs per set. The Vikings totaled 60+ digs in five straight matches, before Montana State held them to 41 last Saturday.
• IMPORTANCE OF FIRST SET: Thursday's match against Montana could have been completely different if the Vikings didn't come back in the first set. The Vikings are 6-3 this season when winning the first set versus 0-8 when losing the opener. It was a similar story last year when the Vikings were 8-1 when winning the first set versus 3-16 when losing it.
• FIVE-SET OPENERS: The Vikings' five-set match at Idaho State was their first five-setter since the opening weekend of the season. The Vikings split two five-set matches to kick off their season, losing at Portland on Aug. 28 before turning around and beating Nevada two days later.
• DEUCE SETS: The Vikings have played 16 sets decided by two points this season. The Vikings are 6-10 in those sets. They're 1-4 in matches where they lose the majority of the two-point sets, 2-1 in matches where they evenly split the two-point sets, and 0-2 in matches where they win the majority.
• EXTRA-POINT SETS: The Vikings have played eight sets that went past 25 points, going 4-4 in those eight. The longest set the Vikings have played this season remains 27-25 (three times).
• DEEP BENCH: All 18 players have played in a match this season. Sixteen of the Vikings' 18 players have already played in at least 13 sets.

 
Head Coach Michael Seemann

• GOING PLATINUM: Michael Seemann is in his platinum year (20th) as head coach of the Portland State volleyball program. He is the longest-tenured head coach of any of the Vikings' 15 varsity programs.
• CHASING 300: Seemann needs only one more win to reach 300 overall in his career. When he does, he'll be the third different Portland State volleyball coach to reach 300 wins, joining Marlene Piper (445 wins from 1969-72 and 1974-83) and Jeff Mozzochi (371 wins from 1984-92 and 2001-06).
• 200 CONFERENCE WINS: Seemann needs seven more Big Sky Conference wins to reach 200 in his coaching career. Seemann will be the first Viking head coach in any sport to reach 200 Big Sky wins when he reaches the milestone. The department's other winningest coaches competed outside of the Big Sky Conference for all or the majority of their careers.

Background Info

• EXPERIENCE RETURNING: The Vikings returned five starters and their libero off last year's team that went 11-17 overall and 7-9 in Big Sky play.
• SHAKING OFF THE INJURY BUG: The Vikings were pushing for a higher seed than they finished (T-7th) last season before injuries got the better of them. Starters Willow Watson, Alivia Eikenberg and Reese Biesemeyer all went down with injuries throughout the year. Watson went down in the team's third conference match – after the Vikings had started Big Sky play 2-0 – while the Vikings lost Eikenberg and Biesemeyer on the final weekend of the regular season. Starting setter Ava Blascziek also missed time at the beginning of the year.
• PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: Big Sky coaches picked the Vikings to finish eighth in an expanded, 11-team conference this season. Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona – the defending Big Sky tournament and regular-season champions, respectively – topped the poll. The Bears edged the 'Jacks by three points, 88-85, despite both teams receiving four first-place votes. Idaho State and Montana, which earned two first-place votes, finished tied for third with 72 points each.
• CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The addition of Utah Tech and Southern Utah to the Big Sky Conference – to offset the loss of Sacramento State – means the Vikings will play an 18-match conference schedule. That'll be the longest conference season for all Big Sky teams since they played a 20-match schedule in 2013 and 2014.
• ROAD WARRIORS: The Vikings made their longest trip east since 2004 when they traveled to Chicago for a match at DePaul on Sept. 2, then a tournament at Northern Illinois, Sept. 4-5.
• ROSTER SIZE: The Vikings have an 18-player roster for the first time in program history. The 18-player roster leans towards youth as the Vikings have six freshmen and six sophomores. Last year's six-member freshman class marked the Vikings' largest since 2019.