Cheyne Corrado has been racking up kills in the Portland volleyball scene for many years now. The Sherwood, Oregon native is putting the finishing touches on an impressive four-year run as one of Portland State’s best outside hitters. Corrado has started every game for the Vikings this year as one of the veteran leaders helping to mold the next generation of Lady Vikings volleyball players.
The 2014 season started off with road losses and a team struggling with costly mistakes. Corrado was one of the few returning players on a team with six freshmen playing regular minutes. The Lady Viks went 2–12 in preconference play, but got invaluable experience playing against several nationally ranked teams.
Conference play has gone significantly better. A recent road win brought the Vikings to .500, going 5–5 and defending their home court, a trademark of teams coached by Michael Seeman. The one home loss came against Idaho State University, the team with the best record in the conference.
Not only is Corrado PSU’s go-to offensive player, she also ranks as one of the best in the Big Sky conference. She has been in the top five for kills throughout the season, currently fourth with 3.25 per set. Corrado is also the only PSU player in the top 10 for points, averaging 3.75 per set, currently fifth. Her offensive ability shows in her serves as well; she is first on the team in service aces with 21. To round out her game, she is also second on the team in digs with 2.35 per set.
In recent weeks, Corrado has been on a hot hitting streak. She posted 15-plus kills in four straight matches, including a career-high 23 against the University of North Dakota. The UND match resulted in a heart wrenching five-set loss.
Corrado was a key player in PSU’s first road win of the season against the Sacramento State Hornets. She was contributing everywhere, tallying 16 kills (on .394 hitting) as well as eight digs and a service ace. All around performances like that are exactly what makes Corrrado such a valuable member of this team.
A weekend game against Montana State was the setting for another prime example of Corrado’s influential play. Behind 12 kills and 10 digs, she posted her team-leading seventh double-double. In this match several key sets were won with Corrado’s hitting.
As a team, PSU seems to perform better in shorter matches. In conference play, the team is 3–1 in three-set matches. Overall, they are 3–8 in matches longer than three sets.
Only six games remain in volleyball’s regular season. PSU currently sits in third place in the Big Sky South, so if the season ended today they would move on to the conference tournament. With four of the remaining games at home, PSU should be in control of their own destiny.
Corrado sees the hard work both on and off the court that this team has put in to be in position for the Big Sky tournament.
“I think we’ve gelled really well,” Corrado said in an interview available on PSU’s YouTube channel. “Having weekend getaways and team bonding and stuff has really helped us get to know each other and I think it shows on the court.”
Equally important as her on-the-court accomplishments, Corrado gets it done in the classroom. A speech and hearing sciences major, she’s been named to the Big Sky Fall All-Academic team three straight years and is going for a clean sweep.
