Huskies dominate first two sets

I ran into Portland State athletic director Torre Chisholm, a man with a bit of volleyball experience, in the media room before the match. He told me that the key for the Vikings would be to keep it close and try to put some pressure on the home squad.

Well after two sets, the Vikings definitely are not following Chisholm's advice. Washington completely controlled Portland State in the first set, 25-11 and just wrapped up set two, 25-15.

The Huskies look focused, motivated, well coached and very talented. You can imagine the size advantage that they have going against the Vikings, particularly some of the smaller Portland State players like Marija Vojnovic.

During that first set annihilation, the Huskies overpowered the Vikings with strong serving and a .500 hitting percentage. Set two, Portland State was able to combat the attack slightly, limiting the Huskies to a hitting percentage of .179.

The Vikings are not helping their own cause either, hitting .062 for the match and making uncharacteristic mistakes with the spotlight on.

For the most part, it has looked as if only two Portland State players are even close to being on the same level as this talented and large Washington team: junior setter Nique Fradella and senior libero Jalen Pendon-Thomas.