FARMINGTON, Utah — Leading her team to its best hitting percentage in four years has earned Portland State volleyball setter Ava Blascziek the first Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week award of her career.
 
The conference announced the award Monday after Blascziek led the Vikings to .395 hitting Saturday against Idaho. It was the best mark by the Vikings since they hit .471 in another win over Idaho on Nov. 10, 2022.
 
Blascziek distributed the ball well in leading the Vikings to the strong hitting percentage. Left sides Alivia Eikenberg and Ashley Repetti recorded 11 kills each while middle blockers Reese Biesemeyer and Brenna Coffman added nine and five kills, respectively. Those four all hit .400 or better while combining for 36 of the team's 40 kills in the match.
 
Those four were untouchable in the first set when Blascziek led the Vikings to 12 kills on .524 hitting. It was the Vikings' best hitting percentage in a single set in more than two years, and they'd stay above .300 in both of the final two sets. Biesemeyer, Coffman and Repetti all had three kills in the opener, while Eikenberg added two. Collectively, they hit .688 in the first set as they all went errorless in the frame.
 
Blasciek also led three different Vikings into double figures in their 3-1 win over Eastern Washington last Thursday. Eikenberg, Willow Watson and Repetti finished with 14, 12 and 10 kills, respectively, against the Eagles. Blascziek set a career high with five kills on .417 hitting herself while adding 37 assists and 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.
 
The Vikings have now won five matches in a row heading into the final three weeks of the season. At 7-5 in Big Sky play, the Vikings are only a match out of a tie for second place in the standings. Three teams (Montana State, Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado) sit at 8-4 in Big Sky play, while the Vikings are among three teams (Idaho State and Weber State being the others) tied for fifth at 7-5.
 
The Vikings hit the road for two of the last three weekends, starting with a road trip to Montana State Thursday and Montana Saturday. Both matches will be at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT.