The Portland State women’s volleyball team faces one of their toughest challenges of the season heading into the weekend. Hosting Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado on back-to-back nights for their last home games of the season will test the Vikings’ physical conditioning, as well as their mental fortitude.
Leading off with Northern Arizona (8-14, 5-8 Big Sky) tonight, Portland State (17-7, 11-2 Big Sky) will have to remain focused on the match and not overlook the Lumberjacks. Considered a dangerous team by head coach Michael Seemann, NAU can be unpredictable as well as difficult to plan for, with no clear-cut leader on the team.
“NAU is young, so it’s kind of hard to say who to really isolate,” Seemann said. “Their main characters change every week.”
Despite the lack of a clear standout on the team, outside hitter Lauren Campbell has received the largest portion of the hitting attempts this season. Fortunately for the Vikings, the last time they met in Flagstaff, Ariz., Portland State held her to just .105 hitting with three hitting errors.
With less than 24 hours between games, the Vikings take the court tomorrow night against Northern Colorado (18-9, 11-2 Big Sky) for a vastly more important game. The match against the Bears is likely to decide the outcome of the Big Sky Conference Championship, as well as who receives the top seed in the tournament.
Having already lost to the Bears on their home court in Greeley, Colo., earlier this season, Portland State is in a must-win situation to retain their hold on first place in the Big Sky. Regardless of the outcome against Northern Arizona, the Vikings’ season will be decided Saturday against Northern Colorado.
“Northern Colorado is a very fast team, and they rely on their speed off the ball,” Seemann said. “Certainly, I think if you’re not balanced defensively, they can cause a lot of problems.”
The Vikings will try to use their clear height advantage over Northern Colorado to generate more blocks along the net. With hitting being the most glaring deficiency, Portland State can close the gap by getting in the faces of the Bears’ hitters and prevent them from getting any clean looks.
“Relative to size, I think we got some mismatches [last time] in the middle of the court,” Seemann said.
With the conference championship at stake this weekend, it will be important for the Vikings to stay focused and feed the hot hands in both matches.
Portland State vs. Northern Arizona
Tonight, 7 p.m.
Stott Center
Portland State vs. Northern Colorado
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Stott Center