Long-term perspective

Amid the frantic jubilation following Portland State’s first ever Big Sky Conference Championship and Division I NCAA Volleyball Championship berth, the beaming grin of associate head coach Jeff Mozzochi could have easily been lost.

Adhering to his usual calm demeanor, Mozzochi gently lifted himself from his seat and began handing out congratulations, first to Seemann and the rest of the coaching staff, then to the players and finally athletic department staffers.

And Mozzochi did this all with the kind of smile only a satisfied man could muster.

“This is terrific,” Mozzochi said with a hint of genuine delight in his voice.

From the students who violently stomped on the Stott Center bleachers for the match’s final 10 minutes, to the parents who cheered loudly, to the loyal Eastern Washington supporters, Saturday night’s scene was one cast in a historic mold.

But for Mozzochi the scene signified something much different: a long-term reconstruction plan brought to life.

Off and on for almost 25 years, Mozzochi and Portland State volleyball have been synonymous. And while the Vikings’ victory over Eastern Washington may or may not be the apex, it was surely accounted for when the blueprints were drawn.

In his first stint in the South Park Blocks, Mozzochi coached the Vikings to four Division II national championships in nine years, from 1984 to 1992.

Following the Vikings’ championship in 1992, Mozzochi accepted the head coaching position at Oregon State, where he stayed until 1998. After a few years away from college coaching Mozzochi decided to return to a familiar place: Portland State.

A lot had changed since Mozzochi and the Vikings were crowned Division II national champions in 1992. For starters, Portland State had joined the Big Sky in 1996 and, with that, moved into the Division I ranks. With the switch came growing pains, as the Vikings endured a combined 2-49 record over the two seasons prior to Mozzochi’s return in 2001.

Mozzochi returned with one chief goal: redeliver prominence to Portland State.

“You can’t really get more down than that,” Mozzochi said of Portland State’s 2-49 record. “When I came back it was with the intention of getting this program back to being a championship-caliber program.”

Upon accepting the head coaching job at Portland State the second time, Mozzochi told then-athletic director Tom Burman that it would require three to five years to make the Vikings competitive in the Big Sky.

While Mozzochi admits that he was well aware the first couple years would be tough–Portland State won only four matches during year one–he held true to his word, and the Vikings made their first appearance in the conference tournament his second year back.

Portland State’s win totals only continued to improve. And in 2005, the Vikings won 21 matches and entered the conference tournament as the second seed.

With that it was clear Portland State had become a member of the Big Sky’s upper echelon. But Mozzochi’s job was not over.

The Vikings replicated their success in 2006, finishing with 21 wins and the second seed. But, for Portland State, a disturbing trend began to surface.

Each year Portland State would enter the postseason tournament with high hopes only to be eliminated prematurely. And, to make matters worse for the Vikings, the same team continued to do the eliminating-Eastern Washington.

From 2004-06, the Eagles bounced Portland State out of the Big Sky Championship in the semifinal round each year. This made Saturday’s crowning extra special and apropos for Mozzochi and a few of his former players.

Stephanie Lavigne and Michelle Segun, both of whom had endured several postseason loses to the Eagles, were in the stands to witness Saturday’s four-set victory over Eastern Washington.

“They’ve always been tough competition for us. So to be able to watch this is obviously a highlight,” said Lavigne, a long-time Portland State setter who is the school’s all-time leader in assists.

One thing Lavigne and Segun agreed on is that the current version of the Vikings is a cohesive group.

“These girls are truly a team,” said Segun, who graduated last year and is second all-time in total blocks at Portland State.

Mozzochi echoes that sentiment, asserting that a primary difference between this year’s Vikings and teams of the past is that immense depth has granted Portland State the luxury of relying on a slew of players and not just a few superstars.

But even more than the increased depth, Mozzochi attributes the unprecedented success to Seemann, who was formerly the associate head coach and took over for Mozzochi as the head coach following the 2007 season.

“It’s been a great situation,” Mozzochi said of the role reversal. “It’s a great blend of philosophies.”

When Mozzochi commented on the switch before last season, he said it would allow him to focus on recruiting, travel arrangements, conference matters and assisting with game planning, while Seemann took on all the normal head coaching duties.

And after two seasons with 20 or more wins and a national tournament berth to boot, the results illustrate a bona fide success.

“I think the opportunity to bring Michael here helped,” Mozzochi said, specifically citing Seemann’s fresh philosophy and energy. “It really put us over the top.”

Just seven years after returning to the place where he had enjoyed such immense success, Mozzochi has once again helped place Portland State in a position to make a name for itself on the national stage.