Vikings handle Bears, Lumberjacks

Portland State women’s volleyball continued its hot streak over the weekend as it handed Northern Colorado its first conference loss, 3-2, on Friday before sweeping Northern Arizona, 3-0, on Saturday. With the victories, the Vikings extend their winning streak to four games.

Friday night brought the Big Sky Conference’s top two women’s volleyball teams together for a back-and-forth battle that ended in a five-set win for Portland State. The Vikings (12-7, 7-1 Big Sky) used home-court advantage to enter the game with a competitive attitude, channeling high energy and momentum off one another. Senior middle blocker Lana Zielke described the feeling of knocking the top team in the league down a peg.

“It’s always a great feeling when you put in a lot of hard work and it pays off,” Zielke said. “We had a great week of preparation—practicing hard, working on our own systems—and it paid off because we came off with a big win.”

Although the Viks started with a 1-0 lead due to a Bears set mistake, Northern Colorado (16-5, 7-1 Big Sky) gained the next point with a kill by Kelley Arnold setting the score 1-1. This tug-of-war beginning set the pace for the rest of the match as Portland State and Northern Colorado bargained back and forth for points, keeping a close distance of score.

The Vikings were able to keep a lead in the set until Northern Colorado tied it back up with a kill by UNC’s Kelley Arnold putting the score at 24-24. The first set came to an end with UNC taking the win, 27-25, from late attack errors by Vikings’ Zielke and senior middle blocker and outside hitter Christie Hamilton.

In the second set, Portland State boosted the momentum and began playing a quicker game. Taking the lead from the get-go with a kill by Zielke, Portland State continued to advance with Phillips stepping up and contributing 10 kills, leading the Vikings to a 25-20 victory over UNC.

Portland struggled to make effective blocks when it came to Northern Colorado’s Kelley Arnold who had a total of 21 kills in set three. Arnold’s hits were being consistently pushed through the seams of PSU blockers, leaving the back row vulnerable to pick up hard drops and deteriorating the Viking’s communication.

“They run a very quick offense and they spread their offense out pretty well, which is tough to defend,” Zielke said. “If they’re running it, and running it quick, it allows them to get past our block and then you’re relying a lot on defense.”

Senior Diana Villalpando maintained great focus and direction and picked up a solid 14 digs in the backcourt. This defense was key in the third set due to Northern Colorado’s quick offense and skilled hitting around set blocks.

Portland State’s attempt to catch up wasn’t enough, though, and the Bears took the third set, 25-22, with a kill from Brittany Crenshaw to the back right of the Vikings’ court.

Phillips set the marker in the fourth frame with a first-point kill followed by three service aces. Phillips consistently found weakness in the Northern Colorado court and tallied 15 kills in the set, while digging 16 balls.

The Vikings took the momentum into the fourth set, where they dominated the court and kept ahead of the Bears to win the set, 25-11.

The final set called for both teams to step up and fight for the first place spot in the conference. Freshman setter Garyn Schlatter put Portland State in the lead with a deep ace served to the back right corner of the court.

Zielke led Portland with 18 kills and eight blocks in the final frame, keeping Northern Colorado on their toes with a good variety of strong hits and skilled defense.

A strong rally kept between the two teams and the Bears were able to tie the set at 10-all, but their gain lasted for only a moment as PSU’s Phillips and Ellis continued to slam the ball into Bears territory. The Vikings scored the next five points unanswered to take the set, 15-10, and the game.

Both Phillips and Ellis earned double-doubles for the night.

“Northern Colorado is spectacular, and it was nice to come through and beat a solid team like that,” Phillips said.

It was also a spectacular night for Schlatter, who tallied the Vikings first triple-double since 2007 with her 48 assists, 15 digs and 11 kills.

“I was really proud of the way the girls responded, being down 2-1 in our home court and then coming back to win that fifth set,” head coach Michael Seemann said of the win. “It puts us in the position, to some degree, where we’re in control of our own destiny.”

Riding the feeling of victory into Saturday night, the Vikings hosted Northern Arizona and walked away with a three-set sweep over the Lumberjacks.

Phillips took charge leading the Vikings at the start of the first set by pushing a kill right off the lumberjack’s hands and continuing with four-straight service aces to put PSU ahead, 6-1.

Northern Arizona consistently played a scrappy game, holding the Viks at set-point, 24-17, and advancing until Hamilton finally came through with the winning kill to take the set 25-22.

In the second set, after a dump by Northern Arizona’s Nikki Small, Portland began a spiral of errors to give the Lumberjacks a first-time lead. Portland eventually picked up the pace by a set of strong blocks by the two freshmen, Schlatter and outside hitter Aubrey Mitchell. A Phillips kill brought PSU up to pace with Northern Arizona at 14-all.

After a struggle for the lead, Villalpando cleaned up the second frame with a couple of quick digs and an ace to win the set 25-23.

At the start of the third, and what would be the final set, the Lumberjacks took the first five points before Phillips put their points run on hold with a kill set up perfectly by Schlatter.

From there, the Vikings picked up the speed and took the lead for good at 11-10 with a kill from Zielke. From that point on, the Vikings score continued to climb with Phillips finishing the set on fire. Phillips, with 21 kills and 10 digs, earned yet another double-double, giving her a team-leading 11 on the season.

The Vikings finished the night with another home win over a conference opponent under their belt, increasing their streak to 13 straight Big Sky wins at the Stott.

“We just want to prove not only to ourselves, but to everyone, that we’re up there in the conference, and we want to be number one,” Villalpando said. “That’s our ultimate goal.”

The Vikings have continued to outhit their opponents in 11-straight matches, and after this weekend’s success, they have been placed at the number one spot in the conference.

Portland State will next face off against Idaho State at 6 p.m. Friday in Pocatello. ?