Portland State University Athletics

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Down 10-7 in the fifth set after giving up a nine-point lead in the fourth, it looked to everyone not wearing green in Northern Arizona's Rolle Activity Center that the Portland State volleyball team was in trouble.
 
But a lineup change helped freshen up the look for the Vikings, who won eight of the final 10 points behind a dominant showing from freshman Maryn Hall to post a 3-2 victory (25-21, 17-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12) over the Lumberjacks (13-8, 6-3) Tuesday.
 
Every external factor appeared to be against the Vikings (8-12, 4-5) going into the match. First of all, it was a rare Tuesday night match on the back end of a three-match road trip that had already seen the Vikings play at Idaho last Thursday and Eastern Washington Saturday. Additionally, the Vikings were playing an NAU team that had won five matches in a row and moved into a tie for second in the Big Sky standings.
 
Flagstaff has also historically been a tough place for the Vikings to play. They are just 9-19 all-time against NAU in Flagstaff, where they hadn't won since 2023. And on top of that, the Vikings had been winless on the road as late as last Thursday before finally breaking through against Eastern Washington.
 
A neutral fan attending Tuesday's match would have bet on the home team. But they would have been wrong as the Vikings put together their best win of the season.
 
"We knew this was a tough turnaround," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said of the match. "We embraced the challenge and showed up. Losing that lead in the fourth could have resulted in us giving up. Instead, we competed hard when things were not going our way. Our players showed true fight."
 
The Vikings had won the third set to take a 2-1 lead behind a dominant showing from Hall. The freshman outside hitter had a double-double in the third set alone, recording 11 kills on .292 hitting to go with 10 digs in the frame.
 
One set…and she had enough for a double-double.
 
Hall finished with 26 kills and 21 digs in the match, recording the first 20-20 match by a PSU freshman since Peyton McBride in 2018. Additionally, her 26 kills were the second-most by a PSU freshman since at least 2010, trailing only teammate Alivia Eikenberg's 28 kills against Eastern Washington last season.
 
"Maryn went off," Seemann said simply. "She continues to grow more confident. I couldn't be prouder of her."
 
Hall added two aces as part of a 6-0 run that gave the Vikings an 11-3 lead early in the fourth set. The Vikings still led 15-6 when things started to turn towards the Lumberjacks. They won eight of the next nine points to get back within two. The Vikings still stayed in front until a 4-0 NAU gave them the lead for good at 23-20.
 
The fifth set appeared to be going the same way when NAU won eight of 10 points to turn a 5-2 PSU lead into a 10-7 NAU advantage.
 
Seemann called a timeout at that point and subbed in Eikenberg and Katarina Kosic. Kosic responded right away with a kill. She served the next point – something that only happened because she and the Vikings realized too late that she was the next server – setting the Vikings up for another point that ended with another kill from Hall.
 
Still down 11-9, the Vikings won five straight points, starting with a kill from Willow Watson. Reese Biesemeyer – the daughter of two NAU alums – then traded kills with Hall before the pair combined for a block that gave the Vikings match point at 14-11. A service error delayed the celebration for the Vikings, but Hall put down a kill on the next point to close things out.
 
Hall recorded seven kills on .429 hitting in the final set, playing her biggest when the Vikings needed her most.
 
Besides Hall, Watson finished with nine kills on .304 hitting while also contributing four blocks at the net. Brenna Coffman added seven kills while four other Vikings recorded four kills each.
 
Defensively, Paige Stepaniuk led all players with 27 digs, setting a new season high. Hall followed her with 21 digs, while Magdalena Ranitovic and Asya Akbulut added 14 and 11 digs, respectively. The Vikings held NAU to .156 hitting as a team.
 
Akbulut's 11 digs came as part of her first double-double as a Viking, as she also recorded 29 assists as part of the Vikings' 6-2 formation. That formation has now won the Vikings two matches in a row after they swept Eastern Washington last Saturday.
 
The Vikings have a short break before returning to action Saturday when they host Northern Colorado for a 5 p.m. match at Viking Pavilion. That match opens the second half of Big Sky play for the Vikings.
 
They couldn't have asked for a better end to the first half of the conference schedule than what they got Tuesday in Flagstaff.
 
MATCH NOTES:

• The Vikings snapped a three-match losing streak to the Lumberjacks with Tuesday's win. They also improved to 27-34 all-time against the Lumberjacks.
• Hall's 20-20 match was the second by a Viking this season. Alivia Eikenberg produced the first when she had 23 kills and 20 digs against Nevada on Aug. 30.
• The Vikings are now 2-2 in five-set matches this season. Tuesday marked the Vikings' first five-set road victory within Big Sky play since they beat Montana State in five sets on the road on Nov. 14, 2024.
• Hall's 71 total attacks were the most by a Viking since Toni McDougald had 75 against Southern Utah on Oct. 5, 2019.
• Hall did not have a double-double before Tuesday's match, meaning her first-career double-double was a 20-20 match.

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