A weekend in Washington

The Portland State volleyball team will get a night off from Big Sky action when they face non-conference foes the Seattle University Redhawks later this evening on the road. It’s back to conference play on Saturday as the team faces Dam Cup rival Eastern Washington Eagles in another away match.

Currently, Portland State (14-12 overall, 10-4 conference) sits in second place in the standings, a half-game behind the first place Northern Colorado Bears. With only two games left in the Big Sky regular season for the Vikings, Saturday’s contest against Eastern Washington will go a long way in determining this season’s conference champions.

Portland State is coming off a tough loss to the Bears last week, which knocked the Vikings from their top spot in the standings. The Bears halted the Vikings’ five-match winning streak with a straight-set victory, dominating the game in nearly all categories. Portland State then traveled to play the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. The Vikings opened with a disappointing first frame loss, but used a 12-point run in the second set to spark a four-set victory over the ’Jacks.

Portland State’s opponents this weekend will have to watch out for the Vikings’ trio of junior outside hitter Megan Ellis, sophomore setter Garyn Schlatter and freshman middle blocker Katie O’Brien. Ellis has been the team’s main offensive weapon this season, leading the team with 175 kills in the Big Sky, and is second in the conference with a 3.45 kill per set average. Schlatter has setup the attack with 818 assists and averages 8.26 assists per set. O’Brien has been a defensive force, topping the conference with 80 blocks and a 1.51 block per set average.

Portland State will play Seattle University (5-18 overall) for the second time this season. The Vikings defeated Seattle on Aug. 31 in the season opener at the Stott Center. After dropping the first two sets, the Vikings rallied for a five-set comback victory. Ellis led the team with 18 kills.

“We have pieces that need improvement, and I’d like to see those pieces step forward in the Seattle match,” head coach Michael Seemann said. “I think it’s good timing, it keeps us in rhythm.”

“I think it’ll be good [to play a non-conference match],” Schlatter said. “We’ve played [Seattle] once already, so it’s almost like they’re in our conference. It will also be good to get another game in to calm the travel nerves, but they’re a good team so it’ll be a fun match.”

The Vikings stay in Washington for their Saturday match against the Eagles. Eastern Washington sits in third place in the Big Sky with a record of 13-12 overall and 9-5 in conference. They are only one of two Big Sky teams with an all-time winning record against the Vikings, however, the Vikings won the first match of the conference season against the Eagles in a sweep at home. Still, Seemann doesn’t want his team to be overconfident.

“In terms of playing [Eastern Washington] last time in our home gym, we didn’t get their best. They play very well, and their gym can be a tough place,” Seemann said

“I think just making sure we’re serving tough and then on the other side of the ball passing well will help,” Schlatter said of dealing with the Eagle’s fast-paced attack. “Tough serving and good passing is definitely an advantage for us against this team.”

Portland State takes on Seattle tonight on the road and then travels to Reese Court to play Eastern Washington on Saturday evening. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m.