VOLLEYBALL 18-9 (12-4) BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIPS
As the saying goes, third time’s the charm. The #3 Park Block Viks traveled to Ogden, Utah for the Big Sky volleyball championships for their first game of the tournament against #6 Sacramento State Hornets.
The Viks got their revenge and came back from a 2-1 deficit, going on to beat the Hornets in five sets 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 17-25, 25-14, 15-13). Prior to this match, the Vikings had never beat the Hornets this season, falling to them 0-3 on Oct. 19, and 1-3 at home on Nov. 4.
Parker Webb led the game with 16 kills and two aces. Makayla Lewis had 13 kills in the game with a pair of aces and a block. Redshirt senior Maddy Reeb closed out the game in the fifth set with a kill, giving her twelve kills that game and a .333 hitting percentage. Teniyah Leuluai had 26 assists, and Ally Wada with 25. The Viks had a .173 hitting percentage overall, while the Hornets were .156. Hornets’ Bridgette Smith had 20 kills, carrying the team.
Only four teams remained after the first round: #4 Montana State survived #5 Northern Arizona 3-2, and advanced to play #1 Weber State, who swept #8 Montana. #2 Northern Colorado swept #7 Eastern Washington, and advanced to the semi-finals to play the Vikings. But the Viks could not get their comeback against the Bears after winning the first set in the tournament, 25-23.
Northern Colorado went on to win the next three sets (23-25, 25-18, 25-12, 25-21) to make it to their third Big Sky championship appearance in a row. The Viks carried the first set 20-13 until the Bears made a 10-1 run to gain their first lead on that set. The Viks stopped the bleeding and finished it with a 3-0 run.
It wasn’t until the game was 14-13 that the Vikings gained their first lead of the second set. Ashleigh Barto broke the 3-0 run from the Bears to make it 21-17. Northern Colorado was able to block Lewis’ attacks, and took set number two. The Viks lost the second set 25-12, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.
Yet, the Viks showed that the game wasn’t over, obtaining a 7-0 run to lead 12-10. Portland State had another run of six straight points, but lost it in a close one of 25-21.
Webb, in her last game of her volleyball career led the team with 14 kills—and was awarded Big Sky All-Tournament Team Honoree with 3.33 kills per set and hitting .364 in both tourney matches.
The Viks have not been postseason champions since 2010 or regular season champions since 2013, but haven’t had a more successful regular season record since 2017. The Vikings finished their season 18-9 (12-4)—and 1-1 in the Big Sky championships—making it to the semifinals.
Northern Colorado went on to win the Big Sky championship over Weber State 3-2, to punch their ticket in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
To no surprise, Ellie Snook was awarded 2021 Big Sky libero of the year and first team. Lewis, a transfer out of San Jose State, was awarded 2021 Big Sky top-newcomer of the year and first team. Webb was awarded first team, and Wada, also in her final season, was awarded Big Sky second team.
MEN’S BASKETBALL 2-1 (0-0)
The Vikings played their second home game before they head to their three-game road trip starting at Iowa on Nov. 26. The Viks left the George Fox Bruins in ruins, surpassing them 104-58. This was the Vikings’ second 100-point game of the season, after just beating Evergreen 100-44 in the previous game.
Paris Dawson was the leading scorer for the game with 19 points, shooting 6-8 and a perfect 6-6 on the line. James Jean-Marie had another good night with 14 points and 11 rebounds, giving himself yet another double-double for the Viks. Marlon Ruffin went 6-9 and 2-2 on the line, with 14 points to show for it.
The Viks did not let the Bruins control the game whatsoever, maintaining the lead for the whole 40 minutes. Khalid Thomas made 10 points, and went 4-5 in his almost 19 minutes of play. Viks made 50 points off turnovers, and 66 in the paint. The Viks defense held the Bruins to only 22 points in the first half.
The Bridge City Battle is next. The Vikings play the University of Portland Pilots on Tuesday, Nov. 23. During the last matchup, the Viks went across the bridge—and lost 86-73—but have won three of the last five against the Pilots.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 3-1 (0-0)
The Viks started out their Hawai’i road trip in a 75-61 win over Prairie View A&M University with a high-scoring 23 points from the #23 herself, Jada Lewis. Lewis went 8-14 and 7-12 on three-pointers with six rebounds and three steals. Esmeralda Morales had 19 points over the Panthers, with three steals, six assists and shooting 8-10 on the line. Savannah Dhaliwal led the team with 11 rebounds and 4-5 on the line with 13 points—getting a double-double. Alaya Fitzgerald scored 12, going 4-9. Both the Viks and the Panthers scored 15 off turnovers and Vikings scored 22 in the paint.
Coming up from a 15-point deficit, the Rainbow Wahine of Hawai’i survived 71-68 against the Viks. Portland State was handed their first loss of the season, making them 3-1.
The Viks had a rough start, with Lewis 1-5 in the first quarter and 2-2 on the line. Morales started getting back in her flow in the second quarter going 2-3 on three-pointers. The Viks made 26% of field goals compared to Hawai’i’s 48%. Amy Atwell from Hawai’i was carrying her term, with 18 points at just the half and 29 total.
Portland State trailed the Wahine for most of the game, until their 9-0 run brought the game to just one point. Viks got their first lead of the game in the third. Morales heated up the fourth by hitting 3-3 with a three pointer and going 5-5 on the line—getting 12 points to keep it a close game. Dhaliwal got her first three-pointer of the game with seconds left to get the 68-66 lead. Hawai’i responded quickly with a three-point jumper, but a personal foul on Morales gave Hawai’i the free throw opportunity to win the game by three. However, Morales led the team with 20 points. Rhema Ogele had 7 rebounds and Fitzgerald went 3-4 on three pointers with 4-4 on the line, to get 17 points.
The Viks travel to Orem, Utah on Nov. 27 to take on Utah Valley University at 11 a.m. Their next home game is Dec. 2, when they begin Big Sky play against the conference champions, Idaho State.
FOOTBALL 5-6 (4-4)
The gridiron Viks close out their season against their Pacific Northwest rivals Eastern Washington Eagles. The Viks kept it very close with the #5 Eagles for more than half the game, but the Eagles won their ninth win of the season, due to turnovers by the Vikings. The Viks led the Eagles 21-14, just a little after the half, before ultimately falling 42-28. Davis Alexander went 34-52 and 338 yards—and two touchdowns this game.
Eagles quarterback Eric Barriere went 26-34 and 320 yards with five touchdown passes. Mataio Talalemotu led the team in receiving, having 10 receptions for 108 yards. Darien Chase went nine receptions for 71 yards, with a touchdown in the second quarter to give the Viks the 14-7 lead. After the Eagles tied it once again, Davis Alexander threw for 42 yards to Beau Kelly who ran it in for a touchdown. Parker McKenna had eight tackles against the Eagles. Broderick Harrell and Justice Pagan both had six tackles.
The Eagles took advantage of two fumble recoveries, and turned them into touchdowns to give them a two-possession lead, which they would keep until the end of the game. The Viks end their season 5-6 (4-4) with a ranked win over #24 Weber State under their belt this season.
If the Viks were to have finished this season 6-5, they would have been over .500 for the first time since 2015. But, the Viks went 4-4 in conference, making them .500 in conference for the first time since 2015. The Viks also recognised their 14 seniors on Saturday, in honor of Senior Day including quarterback Alexander.
Eastern Washington now leads the all-time series 22-20-1, making this their fifth straight win over the Viks. Portland State’s 44th ever meeting with Eastern Washington will be hosted by the Eagles next year.
CROSS COUNTRY: NCAA D1 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Katie Camarena traveled to Tallahassee, Florida for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, becoming the first runner to represent the Vikings. She finished 70th in the 6k out of 250 runners in total, with a time of 20:17.0.
North Carolina State finished first with 84 points, Brigham Young University in second with 122 points and New Mexico in third with 130. Big Sky champs, Northern Arizona, won the 10k with 92 points, while Iowa State came in second with 137 followed by Oklahoma State with 186. Camarena isn’t done running yet though, as she looks to break more school records once again—this time on the indoor track.
NEW SIGNINGS CLASS OF 2026
Soccer
- Elle Frazier, MF/F, Grant HS, Portland, OR
- Liv Frazier, D, Grant HS, Portland, OR
- Erin Marynik, D, Sam Barlow HS, Gresham, OR
- Kaitlyn Jones, D/MF, South Salem HS, Salem, OR
Softball
- Trinity Holden, C/OF, Lebanon HS, Lebanon, OR
- Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, P/1B, Maryknoll HS, Waianae, HI
Volleyball
- Kendra Duffey, OH, Aliso Niguel HS, Aliso Viejo, CA
- Danica Wulf, OH, Mission Viejo HS, Laguna Niguel, CA
Women’s Basketball
- Kiana Yesiki, G, Eisenhower HS, Yakima, WA
- Brooklyn Strandy, G, West Albany HS, Albany, OR
Cross Country
- Emma Stolte, Distance, Broadwater HS, Townsend, MT