2-0 in Big Sky play for the first time since 2017, and coming off their first 0-2 comeback in a Big Sky road match since 2010, it's only fitting that the Portland State volleyball team pick up its first Big Sky Player of the Week honor of the season. Setter Madison Friebel earned the award for the Vikings, being named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her young Viking career.
Friebel, a newcomer from Butler this season, orchestrated a Viking offense that hit .275 combined against Weber State and Eastern Washington last weekend. The Vikings' .275 hitting average put them 20 percentage points ahead of any other team in the Big Sky through the first two matches of the conference season.
Friebel also leads the Big Sky with 11.38 assists per set so far in conference play. She recorded 38 assists in only three sets against the Wildcats on Thursday, then followed with 53 assists across the five sets against the Eagles Saturday.
She led the offense to its strong weekend despite facing one of the best defensive teams in the conference Thursday night in two-time defending Big Sky champion Weber State. The Wildcats came into the match leading the conference in opponent hitting percentage and blocks per set, and yet Friebel led the Vikings to .239 hitting against the Wildcats, the second highest mark by a Weber State opponent this season. What's more, three different Vikings finished in double figures for kills against the Wildcats between Makayla Lewis (17 kills), Sophia Meyers (13) and Parker Webb (10).
Against Eastern Washington, Friebel led the Vikings to .312 hitting as the team erased an 0-2 deficit to beat the Eagles in five sets. The Vikings outhit the Eagles .413-to-.020 between the fourth and fifth sets while completing their comeback.
Even distribution aided the Vikings' turnaround within their match against the Eagles. Five different Vikings recorded at least six kills against the Eagles while three were in double figures again. Additionally, the Vikings' middle blockers had their best matches of the season, as both Ashleigh Barto and Ashlyn Blotzer set season highs for kills in the match. Barto finished with 12 kills on a career-best .647 hitting, while Blotzer added six kills on .333 hitting. Barto was perfect over the final three sets, hitting 1.000 as she converted all eight of her attempts into kills. Meyers and Webb went into double figures alongside Barto, as they finished with 18 and 14 kills, respectively.
In addition to her distribution, Friebel contributed to the Viking offense with her serving. She recorded three aces against the Wildcats on Thursday, then added another against the Eagles on Saturday. Friebel has seven aces over the Vikings' last three matches, giving her an average of 0.58 aces per set during that time.
Friebel and the Vikings remain on the road this coming weekend, as they play at Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. The Vikings open the road trip against Northern Colorado, the preseason conference favorites after winning the Big Sky tournament last season. First serve between the Vikings and Bears is scheduled for Thursday night at 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT.
Original source can be found here.
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