FIRST SERVE
After back-to-back trips to the Central Time Zone the last two weekends, the Portland State volleyball team will relish staying close to home this week as they play at Oregon and Oregon State this Thursday and Friday. Both 6 p.m. starts.
 
The entire trip will only add 250 miles on the team van's odometer, a far cry from the 3,000 combined miles they traveled over the last two weekends.
 
What this week's road trip lacks in distance, however, will be made up in the quality of the opponent. Both the Ducks and Beavers represent teams from major conferences – the Ducks in the Big Ten Conference and the Beavers in the newly reconstructed Pac-12.
 
The Ducks come into the match ranked 23rd in the AVCA Coaches Poll following a 7-1 start to the season. The Beavers, meanwhile, are 4-5 to start the year but came into the season picked to finish second out of nine teams in the new Pac-12.
 
The Vikings will lean on the improvements they found on their long road trips to Chicago and Texas the past two weekends. Defensively, the Vikings seemed to find a groove at the Red Raider Classic last weekend. After their first five opponents averaged 13.0 kills per set on .258 hitting against them, the Vikings have held their last four opponents to just 10.5 kills per set on .108 hitting.
 
That includes two matches in which the Vikings held their opponents below .100 hitting last week at the Red Raider Classic. Those two matches came on the same day, as the Vikings held Prairie View A&M to .070 hitting then UTRGV to .059 hitting a few hours later in a pair of wins last Thursday. The Vikings set a season high with 13.0 blocks against Prairie View, with Willow Watson leading the way behind a career-high eight individually.
 
Watson and fellow right-side hitter Katarina Kosic were both named to the all-tournament team at the Red Raider Classic. It was the second straight all-tournament honor for Watson, who averaged 2.2 kills and 1.3 blocks per set while hitting .200 at the Red Raider Classic. For Kosic, the tournament represented a breakthrough for the freshman from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kosic averaged 2.9 kills per set on .490 hitting. Her signature match – if one can call anything a signature match so early in Kosic's career – came against UTRGV when she led the Vikings with 11 kills on .647 hitting.
 
Tough serving helped the Vikings last weekend. They recorded seven or more aces in all three matches, a benchmark they've now hit in seven of their nine matches this season. Ava Blascziek set a career high with five aces against UTRGV.
 
The Vikings head into this weekend leading the Big Sky and ranked 58th nationally with 1.82 aces per set as a team. Blascziek ranks tied for third in the conference with 0.47 aces per set individually. Reese Biesemeyer joins her in the conference rankings at 10th with 0.35 aces per set.
 
The Ducks feature their own standout server in Valentina Vaulet, who ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 43rd nationally with 0.55 aces per set. Vaulet – one of two Big Ten Preseason All-Conference picks for the Ducks along with Alanah Clemente – also leads the team with 3.69 kills per set, ranking her seventh in the Big Ten. Clemente ranks behind her with 2.96 kills per set.
 
As a team, the Ducks feature a high-powered offense this season. They rank in the top 15 of the NCAA in both kills (14.3) and assists (13.3) per set while also ranking 34th nationally with a .270 team hitting percentage.
 
The Beavers, meanwhile, rank in the top half of the Pac-12 in most statistical categories. They rank second in both kills (13.3) and assists (12.2) per set, while they rank fourth in the three major defensive categories between blocks (2.40) and digs (13.9) per set as well as opponent hitting percentage (.180).
 
The Beavers split their first two matches against Big Sky Conference teams this season. They dropped a 3-0 match to Utah Tech to open the season on Aug. 28. They came back and beat Montana in four sets at home on Sept. 4.
 
A win over the Ducks or Beavers this week would provide a good springboard for the Vikings into Big Sky Conference play next week. The Vikings open the conference season at home against Utah Tech and Southern Utah on Sept. 24 and 26, respectively.
 
The conference openers will be the Vikings' first home matches in four weeks. That's something to look forward to for a well-traveled Portland State team. But first, a short trip down I-5 for two matches this week.
 
MATCH #10: PORTLAND STATE (4-5) vs. #23 OREGON (7-1)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m. PT, Eugene, Ore. (Matthew Knight Arena)
SCOUTING OREGON:

• The Oregon Ducks come into the weekend ranked 23rd in the AVCA Coaches Poll after a 7-1 start to the season. The Ducks' lone loss came to then-No. 7 Arizona State last Friday.
• The Ducks came into the year – their second under head coach Trent Kersten – picked to finish eighth in the 18-team Big Ten Conference. Outside hitter Valentina Vaulet and opposite Alanah Clemente were both named to the Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team.
• The Ducks feature a high-powered offense that ranks in the top 15 of the NCAA in both kills (14.3) and assists (13.3) per set while also ranking 34th nationally with a .270 hitting percentage. Vaulet leads the Ducks with 3.69 kills per set, ranking her seventh in the Big Ten and 85th nationally. Clemente ranks second on the team behind her with 2.96 kills per set. Dalia Vîrlan ranks 24th nationally with a .432 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, opponents are hitting .211 against the Ducks, ranking them 16th in the Big Ten. The Ducks also rank 15th in the conference with 2.07 blocks per set. Vîrlan leads the Ducks with 1.07 blocks per set.
• Vaulet leads the Ducks with 0.55 aces per set, ranking her fifth in the Big Ten and 43rd nationally.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Ducks 27-25. The Ducks have dominated the series of late, however. Oregon has won 13 matches in a row and 19 of their last 20 against the Vikings going back to 1988.
• The Vikings' most recent win over the Ducks came in 2005, when the Vikings beat them, 3-1, in Portland.
• The Vikings pushed the Ducks to five sets last season, winning the first and third sets before falling 15-12 in the fifth.
• The Vikings are just 3-13 in Eugene, with their most recent road victory over the Ducks coming in 1981.

 
MATCH #11: PORTLAND STATE (4-5) vs. OREGON STATE (4-5)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. PT, Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum)
SCOUTING OREGON STATE:

• The Oregon State Beavers have already played two teams from the Big Sky Conference among their 4-5 start to the season. The Beavers opened their season with a 3-0 loss to Utah Tech on Aug. 28, while they beat Montana in four sets at home on Sept. 4.
• The Beavers came into the season – their fourth under head coach Lindsey Behonick – picked to finish second out of nine teams in the newly reconstructed Pac-12 Conference. Outside hitter AC Froehlich, middle blocker Alana Marrs and opposite Taylor Treahy were all named to the Preseason Impact List within the Pac-12. Marrs was named Freshman of the Year within the West Coast Conference last season.
• Despite the 4-5 start, the Beavers rank in the top half of the Pac-12 in most statistical categories. They rank second in both kills (13.3) and assists (12.2) per set, while they rank fourth in the three major defensive categories between blocks (2.40) and digs (13.9) per set as well as opponent hitting percentage (.180).
• Froehlich leads the Beavers offensively with 3.87 kills per set, ranking her second in the Pac-12 and 59th nationally. Treahy ranks second on the team and seventh in the Pac-12 with 3.30 kills per set. Setter Jackie Matias ranks third in the Pac-12 and 61st nationally with 9.60 assists per set.
• Defensively, Marrs ranks third in the Pac-12 and 43rd nationally with 1.34 blocks per set.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Beavers, 35-13.
• The Beavers have won two in a row over the Vikings, including a five-set victory at Viking Pavilion last season. The Vikings had won three straight matches over the Beavers before that.
• Similar to the Ducks, the Beavers have owned the series of late. They're won nine of the last 12 against the Vikings, going back to 1998.

 
QUICK HITTERS
Team Notes

• LAST WEEK: The Vikings went 2-1 at the Red Raider Classic, beating both Prairie View A&M and UTRGV Thursday, before losing in three close sets to host Texas Tech Friday.
• DEFENSE MAKING STRIDES: Through the Vikings' first five matches, opponents were hitting .258 against them while averaging 13.0 kills per set. But their last four opponents are hitting just .108 while averaging 10.5 kills per set. The Vikings held Prairie View A&M and UTRGV both below .100 hitting last Thursday.
• RIGHT SIDE, STRONG SIDE: Right-side hitters Willow Watson and Katarina Kosic were both named to the All-Tournament Team at the Red Raider Classic. Kosic averaged 2.90 kills per set on .490 hitting at the tournament, while Watson averaged 2.20 kills and 1.30 blocks per set while hitting .200 at the tournament.
• .300 HITTERS: The Vikings have hit over .300 in two of their last four matches, hitting .360 against Murray State on Sept. 5, then .346 against UTRGV last Thursday. The Vikings' .360 hitting percentage against Murray State was their best in a match since Nov. 10, 2022.
• BALANCED OFFENSE: Five different players have led the Vikings in kills over their first nine matches of the season. Including ties, that list features Alivia Eikenberg (three times), Willow Watson (three times), Ashley Repetti (two times), Katarina Kosic (two times) and Maryn Hall (once).
• TOUGH SERVING: The Vikings lead the Big Sky and rank 58th nationally with 1.82 aces per set. They've recorded seven or more aces in seven of their nine matches this season, including a season-high 10 against Murray State on Sept. 5. Ava Blascziek and Reese Biesemeyer both rank in the top 10 of the Big Sky for aces per set individually. Blascziek ranks tied for third in the conference and 94th nationally with 0.47 aces per set. Biesemeyer ranks 10th in the Big Sky with 0.35 aces per set.
• NET PLAY: Head coach Michael Seemann said he hoped to see improvement this season in the Vikings' play at the net. They took a step forward in that regard recently, including a season-high 13.0 blocks in the Vikings' 3-1 win over Prairie View A&M last weekend. The Vikings are averaging 2.29 blocks per set over their last five matches. That's a big improvement over their first four matches when the Vikings were averaging just 1.29 blocks per set.
• IMPORTANCE OF FIRST SET: The Vikings are 4-1 this season when winning the first set versus 0-4 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 split a pair of five-setters to open their season, losing at Portland on Aug. 28 before turning around and beating Nevada in five sets two days later. The Vikings haven't played a five-setter since those two matches.
• YA DIG?: The Vikings rank sixth in the Big Sky with 13.8 digs per set after. Jessica Truong ranks eighth in the Big Sky with 3.62 digs per set individually.
• DEUCE SETS: The Vikings have already played 10 sets decided by two points this season. The Vikings are 3-7 in those sets. They're 1-2 in matches where they lose the majority of the two-point sets, and 1-1 in matches where they evenly split the two-point sets. They have yet to win a majority of two-point sets in a match this season.
• EXTRA-POINT SETS: The Vikings have played five sets that went past 25 points, going 2-3 in those five. The longest set the Vikings have played this season remains 27-25 (three times).
• DEEP BENCH: All 18 players have already played in a match this season. Fifteen of the Vikings' 18 players have already played in at least 10 of the team's 34 total sets.
• OPTIONS ON THE LEFT: All four outside hitters have contributed for the Vikings out of the left. Alivia Eikenberg has recorded 10+ kills in four of the team's nine matches, including the first 20-20 match of her career against Nevada. Maryn Hall had 13 kills on .385 hitting against Nevada, then led the Vikings with 10 kills against Texas Tech. Magdalena Ranitovic is averaging 0.43 aces per set this season. She nearly had a double-double in her first-ever match, recording 11 kills and nine digs against Portland. Ashley Repetti was the breakout star at the NIU Invitational. She tied her career high with nine kills on .222 hitting against Northern Illinois, then topped that with 10 kills on .400 hitting in the Vikings' sweep of Murray State.

 
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 three 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 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.