With plenty of action throughout four sets, the Portland State women’s volleyball team outworked a Sacramento State team that came into the match on upset alert. After losing the first set to the Hornets, the Vikings dug deep and pulled out a memorable win in front of an energized crowd at the Stott Center.
Having won just three times in the past eight matches against the Hornets, the Vikings had been on the losing end in a series that has also seen Sacramento State teams that were typically more talented.
“I think we adjusted very well to what they were throwing at us,” senior setter Nique Fradella said. “I think our defense adjusted, our offense adjusted—we made changes when we needed to.”
Riding the typically strong play of Fradella and junior outside hitter Whitney Phillips, the Vikings utilized their deep bench to their advantage. By being able to bring in fresh legs throughout the match, they were able to bear down on an exhausted Hornets team toward the end.
After dropping the first set 21-25, Portland State finally built the momentum they were looking for early in the second set. In what was probably the defining moment of the match, the Vikings turned the corner after winning a long back-and-forth exchange that tied the score 12-12 and took the air out from beneath the Hornets’ wings.
Despite being occasionally blocked, Phillips began to come down on the ball with her usual ferocity, leading to gasps in the crowd on more than one occasion. Demanding attention every time she approached the net, Phillips further opened up the court for the rest of the Vikings with each kill she tallied.
“You just can’t get scared if you make a mistake or if they block you,” Phillips said. “It’s part of the game, and you just come back with another look next time.”
After serving notice they were playing for keeps, Portland State began to impose their will on a Sacramento State team that was noticeably short on quality backups by winning the second set 25-22. The score did not get any closer in the final two sets, with the third and fourth sets ending 25-21 and 25-19, respectively.
Playing from behind in the final two sets of the match, the Vikings carried a chip on their shoulders and showed a killer instinct they will need to carry them through the rest of Big Sky Conference play. Portland State also delivered on a must-win situation and now sits firmly in second place in the conference.
“I think we settled down into a little bit of carrying out what we wanted to do … defensively,” coach Michael Seemann said. “Offensively, we took some bigger swings, some smarter swings.”
With upcoming conference matches against Eastern Washington on Friday and Northern Colorado next week, the Vikings will continue to be tested and will need the same determination they showed against Sacramento State to come out unscathed.
The Vikings are 9-6 on the season and 4-1 against Big Sky opponents.
Their next match is tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Seattle University.