Vikings falter against Portland Pilots

The Portland State women’s volleyball team sent the last non-conference match into a fourth set, but ultimately, it was the Portland Pilots who had the final say. In a tough 3-1 loss, the Viks ended their non-conference record at 4-8 with plenty of promise, but lots of work ahead of them. With a young team taking the floor this season, Portland State is fighting to find a solid lineup and some consistency as they head into the upcoming Big Sky opener.

Against the Pilots, the Vikings couldn’t find their rhythm early on and lost the opening set 25-15. The Vikings started to show some fight in the second set, going on a late 5-1 point run that nearly tied the score at 23-22. However, the Pilots answered back and finished off the set 25-22.

The Viks’ second wind fully arrived in the third set as they looked like they could turn the entire match in their favor.

“We served well enough to get them into tough situations and we took advantage of those situations,” head coach Michael Seemann said after the match. “We created a lot of momentum from that.”

During the third set, sophomore Kaeli Patton stepped up for three straight kills to give the Viks an eight-point advantage at 16-8. From there the Viks held off the home team, not letting the Pilots get within five points of the lead. An assist from sophomore setter Garyn Schlatter to junior outside hitter Megan Ellis followed by a Pilot attack error gave the Viks their sole set win of the night.

To earn that set, Schlatter said the team decided it was time for a new game plan.

“We thought we need to do something, what we we’re doing is not working, so we went back to the basics, simplifying everything and using the outs that we felt that we had,” Schlatter said. “I think that all of our hitters were finding the seams in the blocks and hitting smart shots, also our defense is another thing that helped us stay in the match.”

Unfortunately for the visiting Vikings, that game plan adjustments made in the third set was short lived. The Pilots made an early nine-point run in the fourth to double the difference 10-5. However, the Viking leadership of junior Ellis, sophomore Schlatter and senior libero Nicole Bateman was not enough to get PSU back on the right track. The Vikings lost the final set 25-16.

“I think the learning curve about the opponent needs to happen quicker and sooner and I think we’re letting another opponents control tempo and pace and even the momentum,” Seemann said. “We have to continue to focus on the moments [during each set], but at the same time have an overlying theme to work hard be consistent and make good errors that count.”

Schlatter echoed her coach’s statements about her teammate’s efforts.

“I think we really need to work on consistency, each person trying to do every play as correct as they can all the time,” Schlatter said.

While accuracy and consistency were the Viking weak points, blocks and defense were some of the highlights. While Ellis did earn 15 kill—just two behind Portland kill leader Ariel Usher—the Pilots had better kill accuracy in all four sets. The Viking defense on the other hand boasted 11 blocks to the Pilots 5, and Bateman led all players with 14 digs.

Even with defense putting up a good standing, Seemann said there is room for improvement on both sides of the game.

“We want to get more productivity offensively and reduce unforced errors—be opportunistic offensively, when we have the opponent in a crucial situation converting those into points,” Seemann said.

Seeman added of his defense, “On defense, making sure to continue to have right attitude to be willing to put effort into both big plays and the smaller ones too.”

With the first conference match slated for this week, the Viks need to get their feet back under them in order to make a showing in the standings.

“When everyone is doing their job, everyone focusing on being as accurate and consistent as possible, and treating every play like it’s the only one that counts that is what will help us get into a rhythm for future matches,” Schlatter said.

Despite the positive attitude from the team, after the loss to the Pilots, the Vikings have dropped eight matches in a row during non-conference action and are anxious to get back on the right track. The team plays at the Stott Center this Friday, Sept. 16, as they take on the Idaho State Bengals. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.