The Portland State volleyball team was spectacular this past weekend, beating both of their opponents on the road. On Friday evening, the Vikings swept through the last-place Weber State Wildcats in a straight-set victory at Ogden. Portland State then redeemed a loss earlier this season to the Idaho State Bengals with a hard-fought five set victory in Pocatello. The pair of victories moved the Vikings into a tie for second in the Big Sky with a record of 11-11 overall and 7-3 in conference.
“We just were very steady,” head coach Michael Seemann said. “We were patient and opportunistic and when we got the other teams out of system we were able to convert those into points.”
The weekend’s results keep Weber State as the last-place team in the Big Sky with a 1-21 overall record and 1-9 in conference. Idaho State’s loss moved the Bengals into a tie for fifth place with an 11-10 overall record and 5-5 in conference. Only four of the nine Big Sky teams will compete in the conference tournament at the end of the season, and as the teams are currently in the second half of regular season action, each win becomes increasingly important.
On Friday, Weber State was able to keep the score close in the opening frame. A rally from the ’Cats following an early 7-3 Viking lead narrowed the margin to 13-12, but a kill from junior outside hitter Megan Ellis ended the ’Cats’ run and switched the momentum to Vikings’ favor. Three more kills from Ellis, along with a one apiece from freshman middle blocker Katie O’Brien and freshman outside hitter Tineke Bierma, decisively finished the frame for Portland State.
The second set mirrored the first, with Portland State dominating with a .422 hitting percentage in sets one and two, while holding Weber to a -.033 hitting percentage. The Wildcats did make a comeback in the third frame, partly as a result of multiple Viking errors, but Portland State rallied late, and an attack error from the ‘Cats would end the final set 25-22.
“We started on a really good note from the first point of the game,” sophomore setter Garyn Schlatter said. “I think that really helped set the pace in both nights, being able to start strong in the beginning.”
Ellis led the Vikings offensively against Weber State, registering 15 kills for a career-best .481 hitting percentage. Bierma registered a career-best nine kills and three blocks, while Schlatter topped the team with 35 assists.
Against Idaho State, Portland State had more record-breaking moments. Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Mitchell registered a career-high 18 kills, 10 blocks and a .577 hitting percentage, shattering her previous marks. The junior doubled her former blocking record of five. Freshman middle blocker Katie O’Brien had a breakout night with a career-high 12 blocks and a personal-best eight digs. Ellis added 17 kills and 16 digs.
“A lot of the positive moments [over the weekend] were the result of getting good contribution from different people every night,” Seemann said. “We’ve had individuals step up and everyone else stayed solid, and when you have one or two players really excel it’s a little contagious in a good way.”
“If you have one great outside and another good outside, then you are going to be successful,” Seemann added. “Megan [Ellis] has been steady all year putting up big numbers and Tineke [Bierma] and Aubrey [Mitchell] both had outstanding performances…they both had huge breakout matches.”
“[Multiple hitters] makes it a lot easier,” Schlatter said. “Not only to spread the offense, but to be able to give every hitter success is awesome. We now have, three, four, five hitters the other team has to worry about.”
Even with the big numbers, the Vikings needed five sets to beat Idaho State. Portland State easily took the opening two frames with a combined .479 hitting percentage. However, the Bengals answered back, narrowly closing out the third set 25-22 from a service ace. The Bengals held the Vikings to just a .125 hitting percentage in the third and fourth sets. The home team took the fourth set with a four point run sending the match into a final fifth frame.
The Vikings regrouped in that last set and never let the Bengals see the lead. Mitchell sealed the 15-9 win with a final kill setup by Schlatter. Schlatter nearly registered a triple-double against Idaho State with 46 assists, 13 digs, and nine kills. Her 46 assists were a match-high.
Of her performance, Schlatter said, “I think that everybody played really consistently, and without everyone playing like that everything I did wouldn’t happen. Everybody worked so well together both nights and it showed.”
With Schlatter dishing out assists and setting up the attacks, and Mitchell, Ellis, and Bierma finishing the plays with kills from all angles, the young Viks are starting to really find their groove.
Portland State will take their three-match winning streak back home this upcoming weekend as the Vikings host Montana and Montana State at the Stott Center. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m.