Volleyball preview – Eastern Washington at Portland State

Winning easily has become second nature for the Vikings of late, but Friday night they square off against conference rival Eastern Washington. And if statistics and history have something to say about it, the game will be anything but easy.

Skating through conference play thus far, the Vikings (12-4, 6-0) will see if they can measure up against what looks to be a more formidable opponent. The Eastern Washington Eagles (6-10, 5-1), like the Vikings, have played well recently, winning five consecutive matches.

Viking fans should remember that the Eagles have ousted them from the Big Sky Tournament the last three years and beaten Portland State four of the last five meetings.

The Eagles are led by sophomore outside hitter Hayley Hills, who is third in the conference with four kills per game, and junior libero Mandy Daniels, who leads the Big Sky with nearly five digs per game.

“[The Eagles] are a big physical team that really wants to come at you and hit the ball hard,” said head coach Michael Seemann. “We haven’t seen anybody like them all year. It will be a good test for us.”

Eastern Washington at Portland StateFriday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m.Peter W. Stott Center