PORTLAND, Ore. — It's one thing to play your way into big matches. It's another thing to win them. And it's quite another thing to come back from a set down to beat the defending Big Sky champions after faltering on six set points in the first set.
But the Portland State volleyball team has proved unflappable time and time again this season. Saturday night, in a match with first place in the Big Sky standings on the line, was just the latest example. The Vikings (16-7, 10-2 Big Sky) overcame a 34-32 loss to Weber State in the first set to beat the Wildcats (15-7, 10-2), 3-1 (32-34, 25-21, 25-18, 25-11), and move into a tie for first in the Big Sky Conference.
Saturday marked the latest in a string of pivotal victories the Vikings have won at Viking Pavilion. The Vikings beat Northern Arizona on Oct. 9, when both teams entered the match 4-1 in Big Sky play. Portland State then beat Northern Colorado on Oct. 23, when both teams entered the match second in the standings at 7-2 in Big Sky play. Saturday's win marked another move up the standings, as the Vikings and Wildcats are now both 10-2 entering the final two weeks of the conference season.
"They're ready for the big moments. They're way more unwavering than I am [Laughs]," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said of his team after Saturday's win. "I mean, we controlled all the sets. Obviously, that first set went deep and I thought we got a little tentative there. But the loss almost fueled us a little bit, because we knew that those errors were tentative errors, not aggressive ones. So, I think going into the second set, just wiping that off and just moving on was key. And that was them [the players]. That was them getting it done."
The Vikings neutralized two key elements of the Wildcats' game. Weber State came into the match leading the Big Sky with a .225 hitting percentage, but Portland State held them to .076 hitting Saturday behind a season-high 16 blocks for the Vikings. The Wildcats also came into the match ranked first in the Big Sky and third in the nation with 2.20 aces per set, but the Vikings out-aced them 11-to-9.
The .076 hitting percentage marked a season low for the Wildcats, who hadn't hit under .100 in any match this season before Saturday. The play at the net fueled the Viking defense, as the Vikings out-blocked the Wildcats, 16-to-6.
Genevieve Florig and Ashleigh Barto, the Vikings' two starting middle blockers, finished with nine and seven blocks, respectively. Florig's nine blocks included three solo blocks, two of which came in the third set while the final one came on match point. Parker Webb also set a new career high with six blocks, five of which came in the final three sets as the Vikings erased their opening-set loss.
The Vikings had at least three blocks in every set Saturday, and closed the match with nine blocks combined in the third and fourth sets.
"I thought we were well-timed and we made good reads. And everything that wasn't stopped at the net was pretty much up in the air, which allowed us to get some really quality digs in transition, too," Seemann said of his team's blocking Saturday.
The Vikings' 11 aces kept the Wildcat offense out of system, while allowing the Vikings to outhit the Wildcats .211-to-.076. Libero Ellie Snook tied a career high she set just last Saturday while posting a match-high five aces. Snook had two aces as part of a 13-0 run at the start of the fourth set that put the Vikings in full control, up 14-1.
On the receiving side, the Vikings limited Weber State's Dani Nay – who came into the match ranked second in the nation with 0.70 aces per set – to only one ace Saturday.
"Everybody put a lot of pressure on them," Seemann said of his team's serving. "And that's a good passing team [Weber State]. I was very proud of that."
All of it helped the Vikings overcome a disappointing end to the first set, when they lost six set points. The Vikings led 17-10 early in the first set, but then gave up 10 of the next 14 points as the Wildcats worked their way back in the frame. The Wildcats then took an early 14-10 lead in the second set off the back of their comeback in the first.
The Vikings responded with an extended 10-4 run that gave them a 20-18 lead, the last two points coming on an ace for Makayla Lewis and a combo block between Florig and Zoe McBride. Snook then recorded back-to-back aces that put the Vikings up 23-20, while Webb sandwiched two kills around a Weber State point to close out the set and level the match at a set apiece.
The Wildcats ran out an early 5-2 lead in the third set, but the Vikings won 15 of the next 21 points to take control of the set with a 17-11 lead. Maddy Reeb then helped the Vikings close out the set, as she recorded three kills over the Vikings' final eight points of the set. Reeb finished with five kills on five attempts in the third set, giving her a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage in the frame.
Webb also had five kills in the third set, and followed with three kills as part of the Vikings' 13-0 run at the start of the fourth set. Webb also combined with Barto for a pair of blocks during the run, while Barto had a kill of her own.
Three of Lewis' four kills in the fourth set then came outside of the run, as she helped the Vikings shut the door on the Wildcats.
Statistically, fans would be hard-pressed to pick a player of the match for the Vikings. Lewis finished with 15 kills against the Wildcats while setting a new career high with 21 digs to go with two aces. Webb, meanwhile, led all players with 16 kills on .368 hitting, tying her most kills in a Big Sky match this season while recording her best hitting percentage since she hit .440 against Northern Arizona on Oct. 9. McBride and Reeb chipped in 10 kills each, with McBride adding three blocks and two aces, while Reeb added four blocks.
"The point producers produced tonight, for sure. With Maddy and Zoe both being in that 12-13 range…if they're the second ones in terms of points, then that means we're in good shape because that obviously means Parker and Makayla are producing. Parker went unconscious again," Seemann said of his team's depth.
Outside of kills, Snook finished with 28 digs, nine assists and five aces. Snook recorded 12 digs in the extended first set Saturday, and added eight more in the third set.
Additionally, setters Ally Wada and Teniyah Leuluai each had double-doubles for the Vikings. Leuluai led the Vikings with 22 assists to go with 10 digs, while Wada finished with 19 assists and 11 digs. Wada's double-double gives her 11 this season, as well as 22 for her career. Leuluai, meanwhile, recorded her first-career double-double in the match, with her 10 digs marking a new career high.
The big matches only continue for the Vikings, as they'll host the Big Sky's hottest team Thursday in Sacramento State. The Hornets come in having swept their last five opponents, including the Vikings, who the Hornets beat in Sacramento on Oct. 19.
It'll be another test for the Vikings, but the Vikings have been passing those tests seemingly every night this season. Saturday was just the latest.
Match Notes: The Vikings improved to 39-20 all-time against the Wildcats with the win Saturday…The Vikings recorded their first win over the Wildcats since 2017, snapping a six-match losing streak in the series...Snook passed Jessica Brodie (2003-06) for fourth on the all-time digs list during the Vikings' Division I era (1996-pres.), as she now has 1,452 digs in her career…Snook has 12 aces in the Vikings' last 11 sets, giving her an average of 1.09 aces per set over the team's last three matches…Wada moved past Jaklyn Wheeler (2012-13) for ninth all-time in career double-doubles…Lewis now has nine double-doubles this season, ranking her second on the team behind Wada…Saturday marked the sixth time this season that the Vikings have come back to win after losing the first set, including the third time in Big Sky play.
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Vikings Move into Tie for First in Big Sky as Defense, Serving Leads Them in Win over Defending-Champ Weber State - Portland State Vikings
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