Author: Skyler Archibald

Just 24 hours after a convincing victory over rival Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Conference Championship, Portland State learned its fate, as the team will travel to Seattle to take on Washington in a first-round match on Friday.

As junior middle blocker Erica Jepsen slammed the ball down for the deciding point in Portland State’s four-set victory Saturday, the Stott Center erupted into pandemonium. The scene was eerily similar to the one that occurred slightly over a year earlier, when the Vikings beat Sacramento State in an important four-set match.

Simply put, over the last two weeks the Vikings did not play like themselves. During that time span Portland State stumbled, losing their last two matches to Eastern Washington and Sacramento State. Those defeats came by way of uncharacteristically shaking play from the normally solid Vikings defense and inconsistent play from the offense.

I have lost my common sense. Just three months ago I rolled my eyes while head football coach Jerry Glanville explained to fans that his team would be much improved this season.

The scene could not have set up any more perfectly for Portland State on Saturday night. Facing the second-place team in the conference on a night when they honored lone senior libero Jalen Pendon-Thomas, the Vikings had the opportunity to secure their second consecutive regular season conference championship in front of a season-high crowd of 932 people.

It is rare that the obscure athletic programs at Portland State ever gain any of the national spotlight. But over the next few weeks, three prominent media figures may be watching to see just how the Vikings are doing. Should the Portland State women’s basketball team defeat their first three opponents this season–BYU, Binghamton and Syracuse–three of the talking heads on ESPN’s Monday Night Football set may have something new to discuss: their mutual distaste for Portland State.

If you were among the 12,071 announced attendees at the Vikings’ yearly clash with Montana this Saturday, you likely observed the one major distinction between the two programs. Montana, the colossus of the Big Sky Conference, has won at least a share of the last 10 conference championships.

In what turned out to be a difficult weekend for Portland State fans, the volleyball squad continued their outstanding play and worked themselves into first place in the Big Sky Conference with just two games left in the season.

After a month of rigorous practice and incorporating new faces into the team of the reigning conference champions, Portland State began its season with a 101-78 exhibition victory over Western Oregon on Wednesday.