Though the season is still a few months away, the Portland State volleyball team is already getting some match play in as they gear up to host the University of Washington Huskies in their second spring exhibition match on Saturday. After winning the Big Sky regular-season title last season, the Vikings have high expectations coming into 2013. The team will have plenty of experience to rely on this year, with six seniors suiting up for PSU this fall.
A Ram Choi grew up playing soccer, but her transition into golf during high school has served her well. Choi, who played at the University of Washington prior to transferring to Portland State in 2012, has welcomed the independence of the sport while also embracing the team component of what she calls her new family.
The Portland State softball team will break away from conference competition today for a doubleheader against the University of Oregon Ducks at Erv Lind Stadium. Oregon is currently ranked seventh in the nation and sits atop the Pac-12 Conference standings. The Vikings have been on a tear as of late, winning their last seven games in a row, including sweeps against Weber State University and the University of Northern Colorado. The streak has put PSU in firm command in the Big Sky.
Oregon native Lauran Bliss was a high school student with a dream of going to college anywhere but in the state, but after a quick stint at Texas Tech University the catcher quickly decided that home was where she wanted to be, after all. Now midway through her first season with the Vikings, the freshman has come into her own, already among the Big Sky leaders in several catching categories and a regular starter for the team this year.
The Vikings softball team scored a sweep for the second week in a row with three wins over the University of Northern Colorado Bears at home. Portland State improved to 15-21 overall this season and 8-1 in conference, establishing a firm hold on the top spot in the Big Sky. Highlights of the weekend were pitcher Anna Bertrand and left fielder Sadie Lopez, who both turned in tremendous performances. After a pair of dominant wins in Friday’s doubleheader, the Vikings fought until the final inning on Saturday to earn the sweep.
The Portland State softball team traveled out to Ogden, Utah for a three-game series with Weber State University over the weekend, and came away with a sweep to boost the team to the top of the Big Sky Conference standings. Hard-hitting performances from Lauran Bliss and Brittany Hendrickson coupled with outstanding pitching from Anna Bertrand led the Vikings to victory.
The Portland State women’s golf team left the Anuenue Spring Break Classic with a ninth-place finish on Wednesday, scoring a season-best 293 round along the way. The Vikings faced stiff competition during the tournament but rose to the occasion in recording the fifth-best performance in school history on a 54-hole course.
The Portland State women’s softball team won one and lost two at the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament in Hawaii over the weekend. The team shut out the East Carolina University Pirates in the first game on Friday, then came out on the losing end of a shutout versus the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine in the second game of the evening’s doubleheader.
Coming into the final weekend of the season and riding a five-game losing streak, the Portland State women’s basketball team was looking to end the season on a high note. Their losing skid came to an end on Thursday night as the Vikings took down the Weber State University Wildcats at home. The team came back to the Stott Center on Saturday to face the Idaho State University Bengals, and despite dropping a close game, played some of their best basketball in weeks.
The Portland State women’s softball team went to Arizona over the weekend, and once again came away with mixed results. An 11-3 rout of the University of California, Riverside was the only bright spot during the three-day event, which included back-to-back losses to the nationally ranked University of Arizona. In the other two games, the Vikings were shut out 1-0 in the first matchup with UC Riverside and lost 8-3 to Boston University in the second game of the day’s doubleheader.
Going into the game against the University of Northern Colorado on Saturday, a lot of things had to go right for the women’s basketball team to make it into the Big Sky tournament. Along with a win against the Bears, the Vikings would have needed multiple upsets within the conference in order to have a shot of snatching the final playoff spot. Portland State stayed with Northern Colorado for a good portion of the first half, but the team clearly felt the loss of injured forward Angela Misa on the defensive end as the Bears cruised to a 63-48 win.