One for the road

Heading into tonight’s game, the Portland State women’s volleyball team will be playing for more than just the final win of the season. The Vikings also appear to have their best chance to chalk up a win at Sacramento State, their first since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996.

“We still have an opportunity to do something we haven’t done this year,” said head coach Michael Seemann. “Sac State is a good team. They’re very Jekyll and Hyde, but they’re also battling to get into the tournament.”

With the regular season championship locked up and only one team left to play, the Vikings won’t be relaxing and will continue to play with the same tenacity they’ve played with all season. The Hornets should also be ready, as the fourth seed in the Big Sky Tournament is still up for grabs.

Looking back at the last match against Sacramento State, the Vikings will want a win in the first set to gain the momentum—something they failed to do last time. Expect Portland State to work overtime looking for weaknesses.

The Vikings are hitting an incredible .289 as a team and have three of the conference’s top-10 players in hitting. One thing is for sure: Portland State should have more success hitting the ball compared to last time they played each other.

Aiming for their fifth straight 20-win season tonight, Portland State was successful in the last meeting at stopping the Hornets’ best player, senior outside hitter Desiree Hoyum, who had just .175 hitting and was forced into 10 hitting errors.

Look for junior outside hitter Whitney Phillips and senior setter Nique Fradella to perform and pace the team in kills and assists, respectively. The best matchup of the night should occur along the net, where senior middle Erica Jepsen and junior middle Lana Zielke will be battling all night against the Hornets’ middles.

“Their middle, Maddison [Thivierge], is a zero-tempo hitter. That means she’s up early, and she makes your middles commit early—which puts a lot of pressure on them [defensively],” Seemann said. “They make you play ball.”

With neither a win nor a loss affecting Portland State’s seeding in the tournament, this a respect game as well as a chance to play against a potential playoff team. On another note, Phillips claimed her second Big Sky Player of the Week honor, making it three in a row for Portland State players.

First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the match can be viewed online at www.bigskytv.org.