Sweeping in

The Portland State volleyball team is headed to Montana today for a two-game road trip that will take them from Missoula to Bozeman in two days. In their last back-to-back road trip of the season, the Vikings look to pull ahead of the Big Sky pack.

“We’ve split a couple road matches,” said head coach Michael Seemann. “Going 2-0 for us might put us in a position where we can separate ourselves a little bit from the other two [teams] in first place.”

Starting tonight against Montana, Portland State will have their hands full with a Grizzlies team that lost last weekend to in-state rival Montana State for the first time in seven matches.

The Griz are led by the strong play of middle blocker Jaime Thibeault and outside hitter Whitney Hobbs, and the Vikings will need the front row to step up to relieve the pressure both can bring. A First Team selection last year, Thibeault tops the Big Sky with her .389 hitting.

“I think they are a team that’s improved tremendously,” Seemann said. “They’ve got one of the best middles in the conference.”

The pivotal matchup of the night will be between Thibeault and Portland State’s junior middle blocker Lana Zielke, as both will be battling for control of the net. Leading the Big Sky in blocks, the Grizzlies will test the mental fortitude of the Vikings’ outside hitters, who will need to play an error free match to win.

Tomorrow, the Vikings will be tested by a Montana State team that has momentum.

“Montana State is playing well,” Seemann said. “They are going to play well at home, and they have a great crowd and are second in attendance.”

Despite being last, or nearly last, in almost every statistical category this year, the Bobcats are playing with a nothing-to-lose attitude, which creates a dangerous situation for the Vikings when playing Montana State on their home court.

Getting decent play from middle blocker Kyla Hendry, Montana State relies heavily on a few players and lacks the depth that Portland State has. Having already swept the Bobcats once this year, the Vikings look to get similar results with a mistake-free game.

“We’ve got to prepare for every match, one at a time,” Seemann said. “The goal of our staff is to prepare this team the same for every match.”

In a conference where the top five teams have winning records at home—including fourth-place Montana—home court advantage can be the difference between a win and a loss. For Portland State to come out of this road trip with two wins, they will need to stay focused on their opponent and not overlook anyone.

With Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington both on the heels of Portland State, the Vikings will need every win they can get to lock down the Big Sky regular-season championship and put themselves in a good position for the conference tournament.