The Portland State volleyball team saw their dreams of an NCAA appearance fade quickly on Friday evening, as the University of Northern Colorado rolled to a shutout victory over the top-ranked Vikings in the Big Sky tournament.
The Portland State volleyball team saw their dreams of an NCAA appearance fade quickly on Friday evening, as the University of Northern Colorado rolled to a shutout victory over the top-ranked Vikings in the Big Sky tournament.
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End of the road: Portland State was the best in the Big Sky this season but fell to Northern Colorado in the conference tournament.
Northern Colorado, who went on to beat Idaho State University for their second straight tournament title, utilized their home court advantage to the fullest and outplayed PSU in nearly every category. The Vikings had no players with double-digit kills and registered a negative hitting percentage as a team.
“[Northern Colorado] just played a great game, and we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities that we did have,” junior setter Garyn Schlatter said after the match. “They played well, and we needed to be better, but now we have something to work on for next season.”
The early exit marked a disappointing end to a tremendously successful campaign. The Vikings lost just three conference matches all season and had a perfect record at home in conference play. Following some tough losses later in the year, the team managed to bounce back with victories over Weber State University and Idaho State that clinched the regular season title and gave them the top seed going into the Big Sky tournament.
“The highlight of the season would be winning conference, not just because of the winning match [against Idaho State], but the road it took us to get there,”
Schlatter said. “That particular match was one of the best of the season, but winning it after the ups and downs throughout the whole season was important, because it showed a lot about our team and our ability to learn from our mistakes and move on and grow.”
While the Vikings may not have earned an NCAA bid, Schlatter said the team is proud of its accomplishments over the course of the season and, despite the loss, the Big Sky recognized plenty of Park Blocks talent in 2012. Schlatter and junior outside hitter Jaklyn Wheeler were both named to the Big Sky All-Conference first team, while senior outside hitter Megan Ellis and sophomore libero Kasimira Clark were honorable mention selections. Clark was also honored as Libero of the Year, and Wheeler was named Big Sky Newcomer of the Year.
The Vikings will certainly have a lot to build on next season.
