Gut check

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Vikings, who are 8-6 in the season and 3-1 in Big Sky play, have come to a crossroad. After easily dispatching Trinity Western back to Canada with a swift finish in Wednesday night’s exhibition game, Portland State has a chance to build some real conference momentum this weekend.

While playing a Trinity Western team that clearly lacked the talent that Portland State possessed, the Vikings’ veteran-laden squad didn’t seem to turn it on until late in the first set and were saved from a much closer match by the 17 service errors committed by the Spartans.

The same will not be the case when Sacramento State, who are 9-7 and 1-1 in the Big Sky, come to the wood floor of the Stott Center on Saturday. A traditional powerhouse in volleyball, the Hornets have been mediocre thus far, but should not be overlooked by the Vikings if they plan to replicate the success of past years.

Portland State coach Michael Seemann does not discredit Sacramento State for their record. “It’s a young group. A lot of those losses came to very good teams, and a lot of them are ranked teams as well,” he said. “They are very skilled, and a very dangerous team.”

Look for the Vikings to try to get going early. So far this year, the Vikings are undefeated when winning the first set of the match and are 8-1 when they hit over .200.

Junior Whitney Phillips is a practical pick for at least 10-plus kills and look for senior Nique Fradella, as well as anyone else who develops a hot hand, to feed her the ball. The rest of the team will need to play sound, assignment-oriented defense and have solid passing in order to secure a win.

“As of late, what’s helped us win is our passing,” Seemann said. “When your passing improves, in general, your offense has the opportunity to improve.”