PORTLAND, Ore. — In what was perhaps the most meaningful volleyball match in the short, four-year history of Viking Pavilion – at least until next week – the Portland State volleyball team came through for its home fans Saturday, beating Northern Colorado, 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 25-27, 25-17), in a showdown for second place in the Big Sky standings.
Not only did the Vikings (14-7, 8-2 Big Sky) move ahead of the Bears (15-6, 7-3 Big Sky) with the win, they also claimed the tiebreaker with Northern Colorado as the teams won't meet again during the regular season.
The Vikings could point to a season-high 13 aces, a 12-to-6 advantage in blocks, or a defense that held a potent Bear offense to only .169 hitting, but the more important theme for the Vikings was the team's resiliency. The Vikings came into Saturday's match having just lost to Sacramento State Tuesday, a loss that snapped a seven-match winning streak for the Vikings. Additionally, the Vikings could have licked their wounds after letting two match points get away from them in the third set, but instead ran out to a 7-3 lead at the start of the fourth set, and then went on an extended 9-3 run that got them within two points of victory at 23-13.
"I'm very proud of our team's ability to brush the match at Sac State off our shoulders and get this win at home," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said afterwards. "We knew we would have to be balanced offensively against this team, and we got that today with great passing and good decision making. I thought we were very opportunistic."
Seemann noted everything started with the serve, which was on point for the Vikings Saturday, as their 13 aces were two more than they've had in any other match this season. Libero Ellie Snook set a career high with five aces to lead the way for the Vikings, while Zoe McBride followed Snook with three aces of her own. Ally Wada and Ashleigh Barto added two aces each, while Makayla Lewis chipped in another.
"Serving was key to our blocking and defense. It is all related, and today we were able to turn several digs into kills," Seemann said of his team's performance.
The Vikings' play at the net helped neutralize a Northern Colorado offense that came into the match leading the Big Sky in kills. The Vikings had three blocks in the first, second and fourth sets – not coincidentally, the three sets the Vikings won. Lewis and Genevieve Florig each had two blocks in the first set, when the Vikings held the Bears to only .083 hitting – well below their season average of .218. The Vikings also held the Bears to .000 hitting in the fourth set, with nine attack errors against their nine kills. McBride was part of all three of the Vikings' blocks in the fourth set, and put down two of the three by herself.
The 12 blocks in the match tied the most the Vikings have had against a Big Sky opponent this season, equaling their total from a five-set win at Montana on Oct. 14.
"We knew [UNC] could bring the heat at the net, so taking some calculated risks in where we set the block was part of the plan," Seemann said of his team's play at the net.
The strong defense helped the Vikings start strong against the Bears. A 12-0 run on McBride's serve turned what was a 7-6 PSU lead in the first set into a 19-6 advantage that took all the drama out of the frame. McBride recorded two of her three aces during the run, and also had a kill. The Viking defense forced the Bears into five attack errors during the run, the last of which came off a combo block between Lewis and Florig.
Northern Colorado found its groove in the second set, outhitting the Vikings .273-to-.189, but the Vikings played better in tight moments at the end of the set. The Vikings won four of five points to level the set at 18-all, after the Bears led 17-14. Neither team took more than a one-point lead from there until the end of the set, when the Vikings won 25-23. Parker Webb had back-to-back kills to close out the set for the Vikings, the second of which came after a challenge from Seemann.
The Bears again rose their level in the third set, hitting .311 with 17 kills in the frame. Still, the Vikings nearly closed them out in three. The Vikings scored five of six points after UNC went up 22-19, earning their first match point at 24-23 off of a kill from Lewis. McBride then gave the Vikings another match point at 25-24, but the Bears responded with three straight points to force a fourth set.
The momentum at the end of the third set carried over for the Vikings in the fourth set, however, as they led 7-3 early, before an extended 9-3 run later in the set put the match out of reach. Lewis had four of her team-high 13 kills in the fourth set, and also had five of her 11 digs as she recorded her eighth double-double of the season in the match.
Wada finished with her 10th double-double of the season, as she recorded 17 assists and 11 digs while trading off setting duties with freshman Teniyah Leuluai, who finished with 18 assists. McBride ended up a dig shy of her own double-double, but led the Vikings with 16 points between 10 kills, three aces and four blocks (two solo).
Webb and Maddy Reeb chipped in eight and seven kills, respectively, from the right side, as the Vikings had four players finish with at least seven kills.
Florig led the Vikings with six blocks (one solo), while six different Vikings finished with at least two blocks. Besides McBride's four, Ashleigh Barto also recorded four blocks, while Reeb chipped in three, and Webb and Lewis each had two.
It probably won't be long until Saturday's match gets eclipsed for the most meaningful at Viking Pavilion. Should the Vikings beat Idaho State at home Thursday, they'll have another showdown next Saturday, when first-place Weber State comes calling. But really, every match from here on out becomes meaningful for the Vikings, thanks to the position they put themselves in following Saturday's win over the Bears.
Match Notes: The Vikings improved to 21-18 all-time against the Bears with Saturday's win…The Vikings hadn't beaten the Bears since 2017, which was the team's only win over Northern Colorado since 2013 before Saturday…Wada tied Jaklyn Wheeler for ninth all-time with 21 career double-doubles after recording her 10th of the season Saturday…Snook led all players with 21 digs, her second straight 20-plus dig performance as well as her fourth in the Vikings' past five matches.
"with" - Google News
October 24, 2021 at 08:51AM
https://ift.tt/3EqNkdl
Vikings Win Showdown with Bears, Move into Second Place in Big Sky Standings with 3-1 Victory - Portland State Vikings
"with" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3d5QSDO
https://ift.tt/2ycZSIP
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Vikings Win Showdown with Bears, Move into Second Place in Big Sky Standings with 3-1 Victory - Portland State Vikings"
Post a Comment