A weekend away from home

The Portland State volleyball team played one of their best matches of the season last weekend, now they must find a way to take that momentum on the road as the Vikings face the Weber State Wildcats and the Idaho State Bengals. The matches mark the start of the second round of Big Sky play, as Portland State has met every team in the conference at least once this season. The first time these teams met, the Vikings registered a split, beating Weber State but losing to Idaho State. The Vikings are currently tied for third place with Idaho State with a record of 9-11 overall and 5-3 in conference.

Last weekend, the Vikings swept Eastern Washington in straight sets at home, adding another two points to Portland State’s Dam Cup score and finishing the first half of conference play with a winning record.

Against the Eagles, Portland State was led by junior outside hitter Megan Ellis and sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Mitchell. Ellis led the team with 14 kills, while Mitchell had the second highest total with eight kills. Junior setter Domi Kristinikova made her mark, posting a double-double with 10 assists and 10 digs. Also, relief outside hitter freshman Tineke Bierma put up solid numbers in her first match with substantial playing time this season, posting five kills and two digs.

The increased productivity in Viking assists from players like Kristinikova and sophomore setter Garyn Schlatter, who registered a match-high 30 assists against Eastern Washington, has allowed attacking players like Mitchell, Ellis and Bierma big-hitting opportunities. Head coach Michael Seemann has emphasized better passing and communication as areas of improvement for further success in future matches.

Portland State outperformed the Eagles in nearly every statistical category and held Eastern to just a .082 hitting percentage while the Vikings boasted a .333 percentage. The Vikings also registered just eight attack errors compared to 23 for the Eagles.

“I think we need to try to function as a team [on the road], as we do on our home court,” Seemann said. “To do the same on the road is challenging, but it’s possible.”

Taking these skills on the road is the main focus for Portland State.

“Our goal is to continue to have tough and accurate serving, that’s going to help make our job of gaining control of the match a lot easier,” Schlatter said. “We also just [need] defense covering balls, and outside hitters taking good rips on balls and in general—continue playing together as a team.”

Although the Viking’s match this Friday at Weber State is against the lowest ranked team in the Big Sky, the upcoming weekend still poses many challenges. Weber State’s overall record is poor (1-19 overall and 1-7 conference), the Wildcats are going into the match with confidence after pulling off their lone win of the season at Northern Arizona last weekend.

The ’Cats biggest offensive threat is junior outside hitter Bethany Wray. Wray slammed down 17 kills against the Lumberjacks. For 2011, Wray leads her team in kills with 237, service aces with 22 and in nearly all other categories excluding blocks.

Also, while the Vikings lead the overall series against Weber State, the Wildcats do hold a 10-9 record in Ogden. Since 2003, however, the Vikings have been 13-4 overall against the ’Cats.

On Saturday evening, Portland State will search for redemption on the road as they travel to Idaho State’s Reed Gym. The Bengals served up the Vikings first conference loss this season at the Stott Center in a 3-1 trouncing.

Idaho State is coming off a 3-2 victory against Northern Colorado last weekend. The Vikings defense will need to watch junior outside hitter and defensive specialist Breanne Van Every. Van Every led the Bengals against Northern Colorado with a career-high 22 kills. The performance, along with a stellar showing in the match prior against Northern Arizona, earned the junior a Big Sky Player of the Week honor. Van Every was just shy of a double-double against the Bears, but recorded her seventh double-double of the season against Northern Arizona.

“We’re going against one very good team and then Weber just won so they’re probably feeling a little confident,” Seemann said. “We need to focus on taking care of our side of the net, most importantly.”

With the second half of the season underway, both matches this weekend are crucial for Portland State’s positioning in the Big Sky tournament. Portland State will be the host team of the Big Sky tournament since they won the event last season, meaning the Vikings are guaranteed at least a play-in spot this year. Third-ranked Idaho State is in good position to make the tournament—as the top four teams advance.

Friday’s match against Weber State is slated for a 6 p.m. start in Ogden. The Vikings then play Idaho State at 6 p.m. in Pocatello on Saturday night.