PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State volleyball program will have a steady hand at the wheel for the next three years. Appropriately, it's head coach Michael Seemann who will steer The Ship, as the longest tenured head coach at Portland State signed an extension through the 2026 season.
 
Seemann, who will enter his 18th season at the helm for the Vikings this fall, has guided the Vikings to eight 20-win seasons, five Big Sky regular-season titles and a pair of conference tournament titles. He's twice been named the Big Sky Conference's Coach of the Year, first in 2010 and then again in 2021.
 
"Michael is a proven winner. His dedication to our athletic department and student-athletes is apparent in everything that he does. You can see that in the number of alums who attend our matches, or who have continued to work in the sport of volleyball," Portland State Director of Athletics John Johnson said of Seemann.
 
"This multi-year extension not only represents our confidence in Michael, but also our confidence in the volleyball program as a whole. It's a program that has a decorated past and a bright future, and is a key component of our future goals for Portland State Athletics."
 
Seemann led the Vikings to their first NCAA Division I postseason appearance in just his second year as head coach in 2008. The Vikings made a return trip in 2010 when they swept the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles. Recently, Seemann led the Vikings to back-to-back appearances at the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) in 2021 and 2022.
 
In addition to the team success, players have consistently developed into all-conference and individual award winners under Seemann. Three different players have earned Big Sky MVP honors between Nique Fradella (2009), Whitney Phillips (2010) and Garyn Schlatter. Additionally, a Viking has been named Big Sky Libero of the Year six times during Seemann's tenure between Kasimira Clark (2012, 2023), Tasha Bojanic (2017) and Ellie Snook (2020, 2021, 2022). Snook became only the second three-time Libero of the Year within the Big Sky Conference, joining Sacramento State's Kristin Lutes.
 
Recently, three straight Portland State players have been named the Big Sky Conference's Top Newcomer. Makayla Lewis started the streak in 2021, while Madison Friebel and Lauryn Anderson followed in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
 
Overall, players have earned All-Big Sky first-team honors 22 times under Seemann, while they've earned another 27 second-team honors. Schlatter became the first player in Big Sky Conference history to earn all-conference first-team honors during all four years of their career.
 
"I am honored by this opportunity to take Portland State volleyball to new heights in the coming years," Seemann said. "I appreciate the trust of PSU Athletics and of the University, and I thank them for their continued support of a great team that always strives for excellence. With their support, the sky is the limit for these incredible student-athletes and our coaching staff."
 
Seemann takes a 274-221 (.554) career record into this fall, making him the fifth-winningest coach across all sports at Portland State in the school's history.
 
The Vikings have been especially strong at home under Seemann. In Seemann's past 17 seasons, the Vikings are 140-69 (.670) in their home gym. That includes a perfect 10-0 record at home in 2007, as well as perfect Big Sky Conference home records in 2007 (8-0), 2009 (8-0), 2010 (8-0), 2012 (10-0) and 2013 (10-0).
 
Additionally, the crowds at Viking Pavilion have grown in recent years. Seemann and the Vikings set a facility record with 813 fans in attendance for their match against Sacramento State this past November. The record crowd saw the Vikings beat the eventual Big Sky regular-season champs, 3-1, after securing a 32-30 victory in the fourth set.
 
It's fair to say The Ship – the nickname for the Portland State student section – was rocking that night. Good thing they'll have a Seemann continuing to steer the way over the next few years.