FIRST SERVE
The Portland State volleyball team bridges the end of the first half of Big Sky play with the start of the second this week between a road match at Northern Arizona Tuesday (6:30 p.m. start) and a home match against Northern Colorado Saturday (5 p.m. start).
 
Tuesday's match at NAU closes a three-match road trip that started last week at Idaho and Eastern Washington.
 
The Vikings finally broke through on the road at Eastern Washington Saturday, sweeping the Eagles behind a seasonal best defensive showing. They held the Eagles to 20 kills on .034 hitting, both season lows for a Viking opponent. The win, meanwhile, snapped a 12-game road losing streak for the Vikings that dated back to the last three matches of last season.
 
It was a good time for a breakthrough as the Vikings will look to bolster their position in the Big Sky standings over the second half of conference play.
 
The Vikings showed some added versatility in their win over the Eagles that could help them down the home stretch. The Vikings won while playing primarily in a 6-2 formation, something they hadn't done yet in Big Sky play. The 6-2 formation let the Vikings play Katarina Kosic and Willow Watson on the right, while Asya Akbulut shared setting duties with regular starter Ava Blascziek.
 
Watson finished with 11 kills on .300 hitting against the Eagles. She's been a good bellwether for the Vikings this season. The team is 4-1 this season when Watson records 10+ kills, including a perfect 3-0 record within Big Sky play.
 
Maryn Hall has also emerged as an offensive threat of late. The freshman has led the Vikings in kills in three of their last four matches, including 13 kills on .286 hitting against the Eagles. PSU frequently went to Hall in big moments against the Eagles. Hall closed the second set with kills on back-to-back points. She also had three kills as part of a 6-1 run to finish the third set, including one on match point.
 
Hall now leads the Vikings with 2.83 kills per set within Big Sky play.
 
The Vikings also know they'll need to be better defensively down the home stretch of the season. They played to that level against the Eagles. Senior libero Paige Stepaniuk helped lead the Vikings to the strong showing, tying her season high with 18 digs in only three sets. Stepaniuk also led the Vikings with three aces as the team's servers helped put the Eagles out of system.
 
Northern Arizona represents one of the conference's best defenses. They lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.159) while also ranking second in digs (16.2) and fifth in blocks (2.39) per set. Four different players average at least 2.5 digs per set between Lilly Holmes (3.10), Quincy Coyle (2.98), Kate Federico (2.93) and Hanah Stoddard (2.55).
 
Stoddard and Coyle also lead the NAU offense with 3.75 and 2.92 kills per set, respectively, ranking them second and ninth in the conference. Stoddard is putting together another standout year after earning Co-MVP honors within the Big Sky last season when she led the Lumberjacks to the conference regular-season title.
 
Northern Colorado claimed the conference tournament crown last season, giving the Vikings back-to-back matches against last year's champions. The Bears have been better at home than on the road so far in league play. They're 4-0 in Greeley, but 1-3 on the road. That included two losses last week between a five-set match at Idaho State last Thursday and a four-set match at Weber State Saturday.
 
The Bears represent a strong offensive team, as they lead the Big Sky with a .243 hitting percentage – 10 points higher than any other team in the conference. They also rank second in the conference in kills (13.4) and third in assists (11.9) per set.
 
Setter Nerea Alvarez-Jorge represents one of the conference's more unique players. She leads the league with 9.99 assists per set but can also stuff the stat sheet like she did in the team's conference opener against Montana on Sept. 24. She finished with 43 assists, 20 digs and two aces against the Grizzlies while also recording six kills on seven swings.
 
Alayna Tessena, meanwhile, leads the Bears in kills (3.31) and aces (0.35) per set while ranking fifth in the conference in both categories.
 
The Vikings have had good success against the Bears at home the past few seasons. They've won two of their last three against Northern Colorado at Viking Pavilion despite the Bears winning 17 of their last 21 meetings overall.
 
A win in either match this week would certainly serve as a good bridge into the second half of Big Sky play for the Vikings. Perfectly timed, too, as they bridge a home-and-away weekend.
 
MATCH #20: PORTLAND STATE (7-12, 3-5) vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA (13-7, 6-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. PT, Flagstaff, Ariz. (Rolle Activity Center)
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA:

• The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks come into Tuesday's match against the Vikings on a five-match win streak. The streak followed the Lumberjacks' only two conference losses between a five-set home loss to Utah Tech on Sept. 26 and a 3-0 sweep at Idaho State on Oct. 1.
• The Lumberjacks went 7-5 during non-conference play, including winning records at three of their four preseason tournaments.
• The Lumberjacks are 5-2 at home this season versus 3-4 on the road and 5-1 at neutral sites.
• Statistically, the Lumberjacks represent one of the best defenses in the Big Sky Conference. They lead the league in opponent hitting percentage (.159) while also ranking second in digs (16.2) and fifth in blocks (2.39) per set.
• Four different players average at least 2.5 digs per set for the Lumberjacks. Lilly Holmes leads the team with 3.10 digs per set while Quincy Coyle (2.98), Kate Federico (2.93) and Hanah Stoddard (2.55) follow her.
• Gigi Greenlee leads the Lumberjacks at the net with 1.22 blocks per set, ranking her third in the Big Sky Conference.
• Offensively, NAU ranks fifth in the conference in hitting percentage (.213) and kills per set (12.3).
• Stoddard – the Big Sky Conference Co-MVP last season – represents a strong headliner for the NAU offense. She ranks second in the conference with 3.75 kills per set. Coyle ranks second on the team and ninth in the conference with 2.92 kills per set.
• Greenlee and Avery Gottschalk rank fifth and 10th in the conference in hitting percentage, respectively, at .355 and .268.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 34-26. They have won three in a row in the series, including a season sweep last season that featured a pair of four-set wins in Flagstaff and Portland.
• The Vikings had won five in a row over the Lumberjacks before NAU's current three-match winning streak in the series. The last of those five straight wins was a 3-0 home sweep on Oct. 12, 2024.
• The Vikings are 9-19 all-time against NAU in Flagstaff. They've lost their last two road matches in a row. Their last road win over NAU was a 3-1 victory on Oct. 26, 2023.

 
MATCH #21: PORTLAND STATE (7-12, 3-5) vs. NORTHERN COLORADO (9-10, 5-3)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Saturday, Oct. 24, 5 p.m. PT, Portland, Ore. (Viking Pavilion)
SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO:

• The Northern Colorado Bears dropped two matches on the road last week, falling in five sets to Idaho State and four sets to Weber State. The Bears had won five of their first six conference matches before that, with their only other loss coming to league-leader Utah Tech.
• The Bears are 4-0 at home in Big Sky play versus 1-3 on the road.
• The Bears went 4-7 through non-conference play. One of their wins came against a shared opponent with the Vikings in Murray State. The Bears beat the Racers in five sets on Sept. 11, six days after the Vikings swept the Racers at the Northern Illinois Tournament.
• Statistically, the Bears represent one of the best offensive teams in the conference. They lead the Big Sky in hitting percentage at .243, 10 points higher than any other team in the conference. They also rank second in the conference in kills (13.4) and third in assists (11.9) per set.
• Setter Nerea Alvarez-Jorge leads the conference with 9.99 assists per set. She put together an outstanding stat line against Montana in the Bears' conference opener on Sept. 24. She finished with 43 assists, 20 digs and two aces while also finishing with six kills on seven swings.
• Alayna Tessena leads the Bears in kills (3.31) and aces (0.35) per set while ranking fifth in the conference in both categories.
• Summer Snead and Maddie Rink rank sixth and seventh, respectively, in hitting percentage, hitting .354 and .294.
• Defensively, the Bears rank seventh in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.206). They rank sixth in the league in blocks (2.05) and eighth in digs (14.1) per set.
• Libero Bella LePore leads the Bears with 4.26 digs per set.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Bears lead the all-time series between them and the Vikings, 26-23.
• The Vikings won their latest meeting, beating the Bears in four sets at home on Nov. 6 last season. That snapped a four-match losing streak to the Bears.
• The Bears have won 17 of the last 21 meetings between them and the Vikings.
• The Vikings are 13-9 at home against the Bears where they have won two of their last three meetings.

 
QUICK HITTERS
Team Notes

• LAST WEEK: The Vikings broke through on the road last Saturday, beating Eastern Washington 3-0. The sweep snapped a 12-game road losing streak that dated back to the last three road matches of last season. It also followed a 3-1 loss at Idaho two days earlier.
• SEASON'S BEST DEFENSE: The Vikings put together their best defensive showing of the season in their road sweep of Eastern Washington last Saturday. They held the Eagles to just 20 kills on .034 hitting in the match, both of which were season lows for a Viking opponent.
• MENDOZA LINE: The Vikings are 7-2 this season when holding their opponent below .200 hitting. They're a perfect 3-0 when holding their opponent below .100 hitting, as they did against Eastern Washington last Saturday. But the Vikings are also 0-10 when their opponent hits above .200.
• A WIN FOR THE 6-2: The Vikings played in a 6-2 throughout their road sweep of Eastern Washington Saturday. That marked the Vikings' first conference win in a match where they predominantly played in a 6-2. The Vikings primarily played in a 5-1 in their first two conference wins against Southern Utah and Montana.
• THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARYN: Freshman outside hitter Maryn Hall has emerged of late. Limited by injuries during the preseason, Hall has come on to lead the Vikings in kills in three of their last four matches. That includes a career-high 16 kills in the Vikings' win over Montana, and 13 kills in the win over Eastern Washington last Saturday. She now leads the Vikings with 2.83 kills per set within conference play.
• TOUGH SERVING: The Vikings' strong defensive showing against Eastern Washington came in part because they frequently put the Eagles out of system with their serving. They out-aced the Eagles 8-to-3 with Paige Stepaniuk leading the way with three aces individually. As a team this season, the Vikings rank third in the Big Sky with 1.61 aces per set. Ava Blascziek ranks second in the Big Sky with 0.44 aces per set individually. She has twice finished with a career-high five aces in a match this season.
• 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. Paige Stepaniuk and Jessica Truong have both started at libero this season and played well. They've also both subbed on as a back row sub when the Vikings play in a 5-1 formation. Truong leads the Vikings with 3.83 digs per set, ranking her eighth in the conference. Stepaniuk has been the primary libero for the majority of the last four matches, however, during which time she's averaging 3.92 digs per set.
• 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. She's averaging 1.30 blocks per set within Big Sky play.
• BALANCED ATTACK: The Vikings had four players record 10+ kills against Montana, 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).
• 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. In the Vikings' three conference wins, Watson has recorded double-digit kills each time while hitting .300+. Katarina Kosic, meanwhile, ranks ninth in the Big Sky with a .284 hitting percentage this season. She had 10 kills on .333 hitting against Idaho on Oct. 15.
• UP-AND-DOWN OFFENSE: The Vikings have hit under .200 in 10 of their last 11 matches. But at the same time, their kill production has improved of late. After a four-match stretch between Sept. 11-24 where they averaged 9.5 kills per set, the Vikings are averaging 12.5 kills per set over their last seven matches.
• OLIGARCHY OF OFFENSE: Seven different players have led the Vikings in kills this season. Including ties, that list features Alivia Eikenberg (six times), Maryn Hall (five times), Willow Watson (four times), Ashley Repetti (three times), Katarina Kosic (two times), Brenna Coffman (once) and Jordyn Romano (once).
• NET PLAY: The Vikings have balanced the positive with the negative at the net over the last two weeks. They set a season high with 14.0 blocks against Montana on Oct. 8, but they have been out-blocked in their last three matches. 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 1.80 blocks per set. Biesemeyer ranks eighth individually with 1.02 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 1-9 on the road despite breaking through at Eastern Washington last Saturday. 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 14.3 digs per set. The Vikings totaled 60+ digs in five straight matches, before Montana State, Idaho and Eastern Washington have held them in the 40s in each of their last three matches.
• IMPORTANCE OF FIRST SET: The Vikings are 7-4 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 on Oct. 3 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 17 sets decided by two points this season. The Vikings are 7-10 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 0-3 in matches where they win the majority.
• EXTRA-POINT SETS: The Vikings have played nine sets that went past 25 points, going 5-4 in those nine. 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. Fifteen of the Vikings' 18 players have already played in at least 18 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.
• MISTER 300: Seemann hit the 300-win career milestone with the Vikings' 3-0 road sweep at Eastern Washington on Oct. 17. He became the third 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 six 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.