A remarkable run came to a screeching halt Saturday night, as the Portland State volleyball team’s run at a conference tournament crown ended. The Vikings fell to Sacramento State in a three-game sweep (30-22, 30-24, 30-26) in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship match.
A boisterous Stott Center crowd erupted as soon as head referee Daphne Nelson raised her hands to signal out of bounds, spilling onto the floor to celebrate the Vikings’ first ever Big Sky Conference regular-season title with the volleyball players, parents and teary-eyed coaches Saturday night.
In both of their games this season the Portland State women’s basketball team (2-0) has fallen behind by double digits early in the second half and, in both contests, responded in courageous fashion. First, the Vikings defeated Binghamton last weekend. This time, the Vikings beat the Utah State Aggies (0-3) 61-59 in the Stott Center Friday night.
After four years of donning the Portland State colors and displaying her athletic excellence on the volleyball court, Michelle Segun will say goodbye to the Viking faithful one last time in a crucial match versus Sacramento State on Saturday night.
When the season began, few would have predicted that Saturday’s match featuring Sacramento State (25-6, 12-2) and Portland State (19-7, 12-3) would have postseason implications, much less Big Sky Conference Championship implications.
The Vikings headed to Cheney, Wash. this weekend sitting in first place and in control of their own fate in the Big Sky Conference playoff picture, but after being swept by Eastern Washington (30-24, 30-25, 30-25) their postseason outlook has become hazy.
In a weekend laden with Portland State defeats, the women’s basketball team provided the lone bright spot, notching a gritty victory against the Binghamton Bearcats in their first regular-season game of the year Saturday night.
Sherri Murrell could not be happier. The new Portland State women’s basketball head coach, landed a job with an improving program in a town she loves, with two returning all-conference performers and eight new players on a team loaded with potential.
Sensing the urgency and significance of this past weekend’s road trip, the Vikings responded in the clutch with two gigantic victories, seizing first place in the Big Sky Conference standings thanks to Weber State’s defeat of Sacramento State on Friday.
Facing their most challenging away match of the season this weekend at Northern Arizona, the Vikings (16-6, 10-2) hope to keep their stranglehold on second place in the Big Sky conference.
Despite losing their first game at home all season, the Vikings (17-6, 10-2) beat the Montana Grizzlies (8-14, 4-8) in a four-game match Saturday night. The victory extended their conference home winning streak to a remarkable 22 matches.