PORTLAND, Ore. — Any guesses on where the Portland State volleyball program is going for its longest trip east since 2004? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
 
Yup, if you look closely, you might see Paige Stepaniuk catching a foul ball at a Chicago Cubs game, Reese Biesemeyer interacting with the paintings at The Art Institute of Chicago, or head coach Michael Seemann performing Twist and Shout at a parade as the Vikings travel to the Windy City for four matches over the next four days.
 
The Chicago-based schedule starts Wednesday, as the Vikings play a match at Depaul (5 p.m. PT start) before three matches, Friday to Saturday, at the NIU Invitational in DeKalb, Ill. The Vikings play Lindenwood and Northern Illinois Friday (12:30 and 4 p.m. PT, respectively), before closing out the tournament against Murray State Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT).
 
The Vikings go into the tournament after splitting a pair of five-set matches in Portland to open the year. The Vikings dropped a five-set match to cross-town rival University of Portland last Friday, then bounced back with a five-set win over Nevada Sunday.
 
The Portland State defense improved from one match to another. After Portland hit .316 against them Friday, the Vikings held Nevada to just .180 hitting Sunday. Additionally, the Vikings upped their dig total, going from 67 total digs across five sets Friday to 83 Sunday.
 
The team's bench got the Vikings over the finish line against the Wolf Pack. After the Vikings cruised through the first two sets offensively, they found themselves down early in the third and fourth sets. Some key subs helped stabilize things for the Vikings. Maryn Hall came off the bench in the third set and finished the match with 13 kills on .385 hitting. She had kills on six straight PSU points at one point late in the third set, the last of which tied it at 23-all after the Vikings had trailed 20-15 a few moments earlier.
 
Jessica Truong also came off the bench to record career highs for digs (11) and aces (3) against Nevada. Two of her three aces came in the Vikings' first six points of the fifth set, allowing them to run out to a 6-1 lead that they didn't relinquish. Alyssandra Ordona also had an ace during the early part of the fifth set, providing another spark off the bench.
 
Katarina Kosic was the other highlight from the Vikings' bench players against Nevada. She didn't play until the fourth set but then finished with five kills on only six swings in the match.
 
The bench supplemented the standout play of Alivia Eikenberg, who recorded the first 20-20 match by a Viking since 2023. Eikenberg finished with 23 kills and 20 digs, two days after posting 15 kills, 15 digs, four blocks and two aces against Portland.
 
Eikenberg is the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the league's top 10 for both kills and digs per set. She ranks fourth with 3.80 kills per set, while she's tied for eighth with 3.50 digs per set. She also ranks second in the conference with 4.30 points per set.
 
Ava Blascziek matched Eikenberg with two double-doubles last weekend. She set a career high in each match. She recorded a career-high 19 digs to go with 28 assists against Portland, then tied her career highs for assists (51) and kills (4) while adding 12 digs against Nevada.
 
This week's trip East will test the Vikings against new teams and new systems. DePaul, especially, will provide a stiff challenge for the Vikings after starting the year 3-0. The Blue Demons were picked to finish fifth in the 11-team Big East Conference. Sophomore outside hitter Kendall Timme earned preseason all-conference honors after being named the Big East Co-Freshman of the Year last season.
 
Lindenwood, meanwhile, sports the best record of the Vikings' three opponents at the NIU Invitational. The Lions went 2-1 at the Billiken Invitational in Saint Louis. Northern Illinois and Murray State both went to the Southern Indiana Invitational last weekend, going 1-2 and 0-3, respectively.
 
The Vikings will look for a good record themselves this weekend. And while they're at it, they may just Save Ferris, too.
 
MATCH #3: PORTLAND STATE (1-1) vs. DEPAUL (3-0)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT, Chicago, Ill. (McGrath-Phillips Arena)
SCOUTING DEPAUL:

• The DePaul Blue Demons opened their season with a 3-0 record at the Drake Invitational in Des Moine, Iowa. The Blue Demons swept Milwaukie and Drake before beating South Dakota in four sets to close the tournament.
• Big East Conference coaches picked the Blue Demons to finish fifth in the 11-team conference before the start of the season. Creighton topped the poll, earning all available first-place votes.
• Sophomore outside hitter Kendall Timme was named to the Preseason All-Big East team. She earned the honor after being named the Big East Co-Freshman of the Year last season.
• The Blue Demons' 3-0 start to the season means they rank highly in most statistical categories. They rank second in the Big East and 29th nationally with 14.1 kills per set. They also rank third in the Big East in both hitting percentage (.271) and aces per set (2.10). Defensively, they rank third in digs per set (15.4) and fourth in both opponent hitting percentage (.189) and blocks per set (2.50).
• Individually, Jade Epps leads the Big East and ranks 28th nationally with 1.70 blocks per set. Leonor Polezzi leads the conference and ranks 76th nationally with 9.30 assists per set.
• Isabella Tvares-Salomon leads the Blue Demons with 3.90 kills per set, ranking her third in the Big East. She's a few spots ahead of Timme, who ranks sixth in the Big East with 3.70 kills per set. Timme ranks second in the conference and 68th nationally with 4.60 points per set. She and Polezzi both rank tied for fourth in the Big East with 0.60 aces per set.

SERIES NOTES:

• The all-time series between the Vikings and Blue Demons is tied at 1-1.
• The Blue Demons won the last meeting, a 3-0 sweep of the Vikings at the San Diego State Invitational in 2024.
• The Vikings won the first meeting between the teams at the Bulldog Showdown in Fresno, Calif., in 2016.

 
MATCH #4: PORTLAND STATE (1-1) vs. LINDENWOOD (2-1)
LIVE STATS
DETAILS: Friday, Sept. 4, 12:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. CT, DeKalb, Ill. (Convocation Center)
SCOUTING LINDENWOOD:

• The Lindenwood Lions opened their season with a 2-1 record at the Billiken Invitational in Saint Louis, Mo. They swept UIC while beating host Saint Louis, 3-2. They dropped a four-set match to Buffalo in between their two wins.
• The Lions came into the year picked to finish fifth in the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Senior middle hitter Ashley Geluck and senior libero Dana Grib both made the OVC Volleyball Watch List.
• The Lions' 2-1 start means they rank first or second in the OVC in most statistical categories. They lead the OVC with a .247 hitting percentage while they rank second in kills (13.0), aces (1.83), assists (12.0) and digs (14.4) per set, as well as second in opponent hitting percentage (.205).
• Individually, Lauren Ortwerth leads the OVC and ranks 92nd nationally with a .408 hitting percentage. Ortwerth and Autumn Bax rank fifth and seventh with 3.25 and 3.08 kills per set, respectively.
• Mandy Lawson ranks second in the conference with 0.58 aces per set.
• Kaci Johnson ranks second in the OVC with 9.33 assists per set.

SERIES NOTES:

• This will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Lindenwood.

 
MATCH #5: PORTLAND STATE (1-1) vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (1-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Sept. 4, 4 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. CT, DeKalb, Ill. (Convocation Center)
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS:

• The Northern Illinois Huskies went 1-2 at the Southern Indiana Invitational last weekend. They lost a five-setter to Eastern Michigan, then swept Murray State a few hours later. They closed the tournament with a 3-0 loss to host Southern Indiana.
• Horizon League coaches picked the Huskies to finish seventh in the 11-team league during the preseason.
• The Huskies rank in the middle of the Horizon League in most categories after the opening weekend of the season. They rank highest in aces per set, coming in fourth with 1.82. They also rank fifth in the league in blocks per set (1.73). Otherwise, they rank sixth in hitting percentage (.210) and digs per set (13.5), and seventh in both opponent hitting percentage (.238) and kills per set (12.6).
• Individually, Rylea Alvin ranks second in the Horizon League and 68th nationally with a .435 hitting percentage. Katie Pahl ranks third in the league and 74th nationally with 0.64 aces per set. Kylie Schulze stands fifth in the league with 8.55 assists per set.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings and Huskies have only played once before way back in 1999. That was a 3-0 Portland State victory at the Bankers Classic in Stockton, Calif., in 2012.

 
MATCH #6: PORTLAND STATE (1-1) vs. MURRAY STATE (0-3)
LIVE STATS
DETAILS: Saturday, Sept. 5, 12:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. CT, DeKalb, Ill. (Convocation Center)
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE:

• The Murray State Racers went 0-3 at the Southern Indiana Invitational while opening their season last weekend. They lost in four sets to host Southern Indiana, then dropped three-set matches to Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.
• Missouri Valley Coaches did not vote Murray State among the top six of the conference in their preseason coaches poll. The conference did not release the bottom half of the poll.
• After the opening weekend of the season, the Races rank highest in aces per set as they rank fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 1.40 per set. Otherwise, they rank seventh in digs per set (13.1), eighth in hitting percentage (.168) and blocks per set (1.70), and 11th in kills (9.9) and assists (9.3) per set.
• Individually, Paige Brock ranks second in her conference and 42nd nationally with 0.70 aces per set. She also ranks fifth in the conference with 7.60 assists per set.
• Anne Makowski ranks second in the Missouri Valley with 3.70 kills per set to lead the Racers offensively.

SERIES NOTES:

• This will be the first-ever meeting between the Vikings and Murray State.

 
QUICK HITTERS
Team Notes

• FIVE-SET OPENERS: The Vikings split a pair of five-setters to open their season, losing at Portland last Friday before turning around and beating Nevada Sunday. The Vikings were 3-6 in five-set matches last season.
• DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT: The Vikings showed much better defense from match-to-match last week. After Portland hit .316 against them Friday, the Vikings held Nevada to .180 hitting Sunday. The Vikings had 83 digs against the Wolf Pack after only having 67 Friday against Portland.
• TOUGH SERVING: The Vikings out-aced both opponents last week. Thee of the Vikings' seven aces against Nevada came in their first six points in the fifth set, helping them establish an early lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Vikings now rank fifth within the Big Sky Conference with 1.60 aces per set.
• DEEP BENCH: Fourteen of the Vikings' 18 players have already played in a match this season. Several bench players made significant contributions to the Vikings' win over Nevada Sunday. Maryn Hall came off the bench to record 13 kills on .385 hitting over the last three sets of the match. Jessica Truong came off the bench to record career highs for digs (11) and aces (3). Katarina Kosic didn't play until the fourth set but then had five kills on six swings in the match. Alyssandra Ordona also didn't play until the fourth set but had a key ace on the Vikings' second point of the fifth set.
• THREE-HEADED MONSTER ON LEFT: The Vikings have three outside hitters all competing for time on the left. All of them had their moments over the opening weekend. Alivia Eikenberg led the Vikings in kills in both matches, recording 15 kills against Portland and then 23 kills against Nevada. Maryn Hall and Magdalena Ranitovic alternated at the other spot. Hall started against Portland before Ranitovic came off the bench and nearly posted a double-double with 11 kills and nine digs. Then it was Ranitovic starting against Nevada before Hall came on and recorded 13 kills on .385 hitting against Nevada.
• WE LIVE FOR LIV: Sophomore Alivia Eikenberg picked up where she left off after earning All-Big Sky First-Team honors as a freshman. Eikenberg recorded back-to-back double-doubles, including the first 20-20 match by a Viking since 2023 with 23 kills and 20 digs against Nevada.
• AVA FOREVA: Setter Ava Blascziek opened her season with back-to-back double-doubles. She set a career high with 19 digs to go with 28 assists against Portland, then followed with a career high-tying 51 assists and 12 digs – to go with a career high-tying four kills – against Nevada.
• IMPORTANCE OF FIRST SET: The Vikings were 8-1 when winning the first set last season versus 3-16 when losing the opener. Through one weekend of play in 2026, that's stayed true as the Vikings lost to Portland after dropping the opener, then beat Nevada when winning the opener.
• DEUCE SETS: The Vikings have already played a number of two-point sets this season. Out of the 10 sets played last week, five were decided by two points. The Vikings went 2-3 in those five sets.
• EXTRA-POINT SETS: The Vikings played three sets that went past 25 points last weekend. They went 2-1 in those three. They won the lone extra-point set against the Pilots, then split the two they played against Nevada. All three extra-point sets were decided by 27-25 scores.
• YA DIG?: The Vikings rank third in the Big Sky and 65th nationally with 15.0 digs per set after the opening weekend of the season. Alivia Eikenberg ranks tied for eighth in the conference individually with 3.50 digs per set. Four different players average at least 2.75 digs per set, though, between Eikenberg (3.50), Paige Stepaniuk (3.20), Ava Blascziek (3.10) and Jessica Truong (2.75).
• NET PLAY: One area that head coach Michael Seemann said he hoped to see improvement this season was in the Vikings' blocking numbers. He said it would take some time, but through one weekend the Vikings rank eighth out of 11 teams in the Big Sky Conference with 1.40 blocks per set. They rank 10th in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.243) as a result.

 
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 six more wins 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 nine 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 other winningest coaches all competed outside of the Big Sky Conference.