FIRST SERVE
The saying goes, "Don't mess with Texas." Well, the Portland State volleyball team has no choice but to do that as the Vikings prepare to face off against three Texas-based teams this weekend at the Red Raider Classic.
 
The Vikings will open the tournament against Prairie View A&M Thursday (11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. CT) before facing UTRGV later that same day (3 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT). They'll wrap up the tournament Friday with a single match against host Texas Tech at 11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. CT.
 
It'll be a second straight trip to the Central Time Zone for the Vikings. They're coming back from a trip to the Chicago area this past week that was the program's longest trip East since visiting Maine in 2004.
 
The Vikings ended the trip on a high note, putting together their best offensive and best defensive performance of the season in a 3-0 sweep of Murray State. Offensively, the Vikings hit .360 against the Racers – the team's best hitting percentage in a match since Nov. 10, 2022. Defensively, they held the Racers to just .133 hitting, a season low for a Viking opponent.
 
The Vikings balanced their attack as six different players recorded at least four kills in the match while no one had more than 10. Two players ended with exactly 10 kills in Alivia Eikenberg and Ashley Repetti.
 
Repetti was a breakout player for the Vikings last weekend. She tied her career high with nine kills against Northern Illinois last Friday, then surpassed that with her 10 kills (on .400 hitting) against Murray State. Repetti earned the first all-tournament honors of her career as a result. Teammates Ava Blascziek and Willow Watson joined her on the all-tournament team.
 
The Vikings also set a season high with 10 aces in their sweep of Murray State. Reese Biesemeyer set a career high with four aces in the match while Blascziek added three. Biesemeyer leads the Vikings with nine total aces this season. She and freshman Magdalena Ranitovic both average 0.43 aces per set, ranking them tied for sixth in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Biesemeyer was also part of an improved block for the Vikings over their last two matches, along with Brenna Coffman. The Vikings set a season high with 11.0 blocks against NIU Friday, before posting six blocks in their sweep over Murray State. They're averaging 2.43 blocks per set over their last two matches, after starting the year averaging just 1.29 blocks per set over their first four matches.
 
The breakout showing against the Racers should help give the Vikings' confidence going into this weekend's matches in Texas. The Vikings are still a young team, after all – 12 underclassmen on their 18-player roster – and are working out their roles with one another.
 
This week's Texas trip will put their team chemistry to another test. UTRGV figures to test the Vikings' passing as they come into the weekend ranked third in the Southland Conference with 1.67 aces per set. More than half of those come from sophomore right-side hitter Ema Petkovic, who is the national leader with 0.93 aces per set.
 
The Red Raiders also average 1.67 aces per set, ranking them sixth in the Big 12 Conference. But they take more of a platoon approach with six different players averaging at least 0.29 per set.
 
Prairie View A&M, meanwhile, comes into the weekend ranked second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) for hitting percentage (.175), third in kills per set (11.0) and fourth in assists per set (9.75). Defensively, they also rank third in their conference with 1.80 blocks per set.
 
Prairie View A&M and UTRGV are also two programs picked to finish well within their respective conferences. Prairie View was picked to finish second in the SWAC after winning the regular-season title last year. UTRGV, meanwhile, was picked to finish second after sharing the conference title with Stephen F. Austin last year.
 
The Vikings are trying to get there themselves this year. They took a step forward last Saturday against Murray State. In order to take another step this weekend, they're going to have to do something people are advised not to.
 
They have to mess with Texas.
 
MATCH #7: PORTLAND STATE (2-4) vs. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (0-6)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. CT, Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M:

• The Prairie View A&M Panthers are 0-6 through the first two weekends of the season. They lost in straight sets to Arizona, UC Santa Barbara and Tarleton State on the opening weekend of the season. They then dropped four-set matches to Radford and Eastern Kentucky, and were swept by host Georgia Southern this past weekend.
• The Panthers are in their second year under head coach Dottie Hampton, who coached previously at UNC Wilmington, Coastal Carolina, Niagara University and South Carolina. The Panthers went 18-12 overall and 15-1 within the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) last season, their first year under Hampton. They started the year 0-4 before winning 18 of their final 26 matches and claiming the conference regular-season title.
• The Panthers received five first-place votes but were picked to finish second behind Florida A&M in the SWAC preseason poll. Right-side hitter Valencia Wilder, middle hitter Iyonna Sherwood and setter Tayler Ruffin all received Preseason All-SWAC second-team honors.
• Despite their 0-6 record, the Panthers rank second in the SWAC for hitting percentage (.175), third in kills per set (11.0) and fourth in assists per set (9.75). Defensively, they also rank third in the conference with 1.80 blocks per set.
• Daniella Udegbunam leads the Panthers and ranks seventh individually in the SWAC with 0.79 blocks per set.
• Terasita Caldwell ranks seventh in the SWAC with a .273 hitting percentage.
• D'Mya Hill leads the Panthers with 3.78 kills per set, but she's only played in nine of the Panthers' 20 sets so far. She had a team-high 17 kills while playing all four sets against Eastern Kentucky this past weekend.

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings won the only other meeting between them and the Panthers, 3-0, on Sept. 17, 2005. The Vikings won that match on the road.

 
MATCH #8: PORTLAND STATE (2-4) vs. UTRGV (1-3)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Thursday, Sept. 10, 3 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT, Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
SCOUTING UTRGV:

• The UTRGV Vaqueros went 1-3 through the first two weekends of the season, losing both matches at the Country Road Challenge – 3-1 to West Virginia, 3-0 to UMBC – while splitting their matches at the Southwest Showdown. The Vaqueros swept Texas State this past Friday, while they lost in five sets to UTEP Saturday. They'll play Texas Southern Tuesday night before opening the Red Raider Classic against host Texas Tech Thursday.
• The Vaqueros came into the year picked to finish second in the Southland Conference, after winning a share of the conference title with Stephen F. Austin last year. The Vaqueros went 22-8 overall and 15-1 in Southland play last season. They lost to Stephen F. Austin, 3-0, in the championship match of the conference tournament. Stephen F. Austin topped the preseason poll, earning eight first-place votes to three for UTRGV and one for A&M-Corpus Christi.
• The Vaqueros have established themselves as a strong serving team so far this season. They rank third in the Southland Conference with 1.67 aces per set already. Sophomore right-side hitter Ema Petkovic leads that effort with 0.93 aces per set individually. That gives Petkovic not only the conference but national lead in the category.
• The Vaqueros also rank third within the Southland Conference with 2.07 blocks per set. Redshirt junior middle blocker Julianna Bryant leads the team at the net with 1.07 blocks per set, ranking her second in the Southland individually.
• Martina Franco and Petkovic lead the Vaqueros with 3.20 and 2.93 kills per set, respectively, ranking them fifth and ninth in the Southland Conference.
• Setter Lana Rnjak ranks third in the Southland with 8.47 assists per set.

SERIES NOTES:

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

 
MATCH #9: PORTLAND STATE (2-4) vs. TEXAS TECH (3-2)
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
DETAILS: Friday, Sept. 11, 11 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. CT, Lubbock, Texas (United Supermarkets Arena)
SCOUTING TEXAS TECH:

• The Texas Tech Red Raiders split their opening weekend of the regular season, losing in four sets at Wyoming on Aug. 28 before beating St. Thomas in five sets the next day. They then went 2-1 at the Sacramento State Invitational, beating Saint Mary's, 3-1, and Nevada, 3-2, but losing to host Sacramento State, 3-0. The Red Raiders' win over the Wolf Pack gives them a common opponent with the Vikings, as well as an identical result as both teams beat Nevada in five sets.
• The Red Raiders came into the 2026 season picked to finish 15th in the 15-team Big 12 Conference. They went 10-20 overall and 2-16 within the Big 12 last year.
• So far this season, the Red Raiders have been best in the back row and from the service line. They rank fifth in the Big 12 with 13.5 digs per set, while they rank sixth in the conference with 1.67 aces per set.
• Six different players average at least 0.29 aces per set for the Red Raiders. Elia Dinsmore leads that group with six total aces (0.40 per set). Taylor Cook ranks second behind her with five total aces (0.33 per set). Katelyn Cochran averages 0.31 aces per set while Sara Bowcutt and Ashlyn Bellamy rank behind her with 0.30 aces per set each. Emily Contreras ranks tied for the team lead in total aces with six, but her average is 0.29 per set.
• Contreras leads the back row with 3.19 digs per set. Maddie Smotherman ranks second behind her with 2.64 digs per set.
• Shelby Ignash leads the Red Raiders at the net with 1.25 blocks per set, ranking her 12th in the Big 12 and 91st nationally. The Red Raiders rank 11th in the conference with 2.24 blocks per set as a team.
• Offensively, Sara Bowcutt leads the Red Raiders with 3.20 kills per set, ranking her 19th in the Big 12 individually.  

SERIES NOTES:

• The Vikings and Red Raiders are 2-2 all-time against each other.
• The Vikings' two wins came in 1979 and 1983 while the Red Raiders won the teams' two most recent meetings in 2015 and 2016.

 
QUICK HITTERS
Team Notes

• LAST WEEK: The Vikings made their longest road trip since 2004 with four matches in the Chicago area. The Vikings dropped their first three of the road trip, losing at DePaul, 3-1, and then their first two matches at the NIU Invitational to Lindenwood, 3-0, and Northern Illinois, 3-1. They rebounded to sweep Murray State, 3-0, Saturday.
• SEASON'S BESTS: The Vikings' sweep of Murray State included the team's best hitting percentage of the season (.360), as well as their best defensive showing as they held Murray State to .133 hitting. The Vikings' .360 hitting percentage was their best in a match since Nov. 10, 2022.
• ALL-TOURNEY VIKS: Ava Blascziek, Ashley Repetti and Willow Watson were all named to the All-Tournament Team at the NIU Invitational. It was the first-career all-tournament honor for Blascziek and Repetti. Watson was named all-tournament at The Joust Tournament last season as a freshman.
• BALANCED OFFENSE: The Vikings had six different players record at least four kills against Murray State, while no one had more than 10. Alivia Eikenberg and Ashley Repetti led the Vikings with 10 kills each on .292 and .400 hitting, respectively. Right-side hitters Katarina Kosic and Willow Watson added five kills each on .556 and .250 hitting, while middle blockers Reese Biesemeyer and Brenna Coffman recorded four kills each.
• STRUGGLES BEFORE BREAKTHROUGH: The offensive showing against Murray State snapped the Vikings out of a malaise offensively. They hit .169 or worse in their first three matches of their Chicago road trip.
• TOUGH SERVING: The Vikings recorded a season-high 10 aces in their 3-0 sweep of Murray State. Reese Biesemeyer set a career high with four aces while Ava Blascziek tied her career high with three. The Vikings rank third in the Big Sky with 1.67 aces per set as a team this season.
• IMPORTANCE OF FIRST SET: Last season, the Vikings were 8-1 when winning the first set versus 3-16 when losing the opener. Through two weekends of play in 2026, that's stayed true as the Vikings are 2-1 when winning the first set and 0-3 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. They're 1-1 in five-setters this season as a result.
• NET PLAY: One area that head coach Michael Seemann said he hoped to see improvement this season was in the Vikings' blocking numbers. They saw some improvement in that regard over their last two matches. The Vikings averaged 2.43 blocks per set over their matches against Northern Illinois and Murray State, including a season-high 11.0 blocks against NIU. The Vikings had been averaging just 1.29 blocks per set in the four matches before those two.
• YA DIG?: The Vikings rank third in the Big Sky with 14.0 digs per set after the first two weekends of the season. Five regulars average at least 2.00 digs per set between Jessica Truong (3.19), Alivia Eikenberg (2.64), Paige Stepaniuk (2.32), Magdalena Ranitovic (2.07) and Ava Blascziek (2.04).
• DEUCE SETS: The Vikings have already played six sets decided by two points this season. The Vikings are 2-4 in those six sets.
• EXTRA-POINT SETS: The Vikings have played three sets that went past 25 points, going 2-1 in those three. All three extra-point sets were decided by 27-25 scores.
• DEEP BENCH: All 18 players have already played in a match this season. Several players outside of the Vikings' returning starters have already made significant contributions. Ashley Repetti recorded a career-high 10 kills on .400 hitting in the Vikings' 3-0 sweep of Murray State. Katarina Kosic, meanwhile, has contributed to both wins so far this season, recording five kills against both Nevada and Murray State while hitting .833 and .556 against them, respectively. Maryn Hall also contributed to the win over Nevada, coming 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) against the Wolf Pack. She started at libero for the Vikings' win over Murray State, recording 12 digs while leading the defense to a season's best performance.
• OPTIONS ON THE LEFT: All four outside hitters have contributed for the Vikings out of the left. Alivia Eikenberg has recorded 10+ kills in three of the team's six matches, including the first 20-20 match of her career against Nevada. Maryn Hall had 13 kills on .385 hitting against Nevada, while Magdalena Ranitovic is averaging 0.43 aces per set this season. Ashley Repetti was the breakout star last weekend, tying her career high with nine kills on .222 hitting against Northern Illinois last Friday, then topping 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 five 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.