Stinging Hornet revenge

A remarkable run came to a screeching halt Saturday night, as the Portland State volleyball team’s run at a conference tournament crown ended. The Vikings fell to Sacramento State in a three-game sweep (30-22, 30-24, 30-26) in the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship match.

Despite Portland State’s first ever Big Sky regular-season title in a four-game victory over the Hornets in the season finale, this past weekend’s Sacramento State win earns the Hornets an automatic berth and keeps Portland State out of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

Just seven days after fitting the pieces together perfectly for a complete team victory against Sacramento State, the Vikings seemed unable to get into a rhythm offensively. The Portland State defense was incapable of containing the Big Sky Tournament Most Valuable Player, senior Missie Stidham, who tallied a tournament-record 29 kills in the three-game match.

“She really had a remarkable performance, offensively and defensively,” said head coach Michael Seemann of Stidham.

Regular season Big Sky MVP and Sacramento State senior middle hitter Lindsey Haupt contributed 14 kills in the victorious effort for the Hornets, who will play the University of Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

Notwithstanding the three-game sweep, the Viking players gave a courageous performance in the third game, leading 24-13 before Sacramento State responded with a 17-2 point run that ended all hopes of a Viking comeback.

In their opening match of the Big Sky Tournament, the Vikings had recovered to beat Weber State after dropping the first two games of that match (22-30, 22-30, 30-27, 30-28, 16-14).

“With a young team, sometimes you can struggle with streaky play, and we had the highs and the lows this weekend,” Seemann said.

Aside from Saturday’s setback, Portland State has developed into a powerhouse in the conference. Ironically, the loss in the championship emphasizes only the importance and advantage of hosting the conference tournament, a right that the Vikings claimed for next year after being crowned regular-season champions.

“It will be a huge advantage for this team, to have at least the chance to play this championship match at home next year,” Seemann said.

The squad has not lost a conference home match since 2004, and they will have every player on their roster returning with the exception of senior middle blocker Michelle Segun, an all-conference performer.

Next year’s team will be bolstered by the return of junior outside hitter Lindsey Steele, who sat out this season with a knee injury.

Steele’s return means more digs for senior libero Jacqueline Thomas, more assists for two-time all-conference performer sophomore setter Dominique Fradella, and more kills for junior outside hitter Jennifer Oney and sophomore outside hitter Marija Vojnovic.

Both Vojnovic and Oney were selected to the all-tournament team, even in light of Saturday’s defeat. Fradella, meanwhile, remarkably recorded two triple-doubles in the final three matches of the season, earning second-team all-conference honors.

While the loss will surely motivate the young Viking players during their time off, these student athletes can hold their heads high as they remember their accomplishments this season.

“We all know what we need to do to get better and improve during the off-season, and we are really excited with the team that we have coming back,” Seemann said.

Top reasons Portland State volleyball is in an excellent position for next season:

? The Vikings only graduate one senior in middle blocker Michelle Segun and are slated to return 13 players from this season’s Big Sky regular-season championship team.? With nearly the entire team returning, Portland State has a wealth of experience, especially after advancing to the Big Sky Tournament championship match.? Sophomore middle blocker Erica Jepsen and freshman middle blocker Christie Hamilton have developed nicely over this season, meaning they should anchor the Vikings’ defense for years to come.? Junior libero Jackie Thomas, who averaged 4.34 digs per game, appears to have a solid grasp on playing the defensive specialist position and should only improve.