CORVALLIS, Ore. — Facing its fifth team that won 20-plus matches a year ago in Utah State, the Portland State volleyball team came out in peak form. The Vikings recorded 18 kills on .366 hitting in the opening frame against the Aggies, claiming a 1-0 lead over an Aggies team that’s receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25.
The lead didn’t hold up, as Utah State (4-2) used tough serving and defense to win the next three sets, but the Vikings (2-5) won’t be displeased with how they played despite a 3-1 loss (21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-14) Friday at the Asics Invitational at Gill Coliseum.
“We were able to achieve great offensive distribution in the first set due to solid first contacts,” Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said afterwards. “They got hot from the service line and we were not able to distribute as we did in the first. But I liked the way we defended for most of the match.”
Seemann and the Vikings still would have rather had the win, of course, but the strong start and strong defensive play marked some progress for the Vikings Friday. The Vikings’ only other match against a team either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 this season was a 3-0 loss to then-No. 19 Oregon on Aug. 28. The Vikings were outhit .400-to-negative-.047 and out-killed 42-to-18 in that match, but were much more competitive Friday against the Aggies. Utah State still outhit the Vikings .280-to-.179, but the Vikings were only out-killed by one, 50-to-49.
The Vikings actually out-dug the Aggies, 70-to-64, a marked difference from the team’s match against the Ducks when the only recorded 26 digs.
The strong digging was evident in the first set as the Vikings recorded 23 digs in that set alone. The Aggies actually hit really well in that opening set – .295 with 14 kills – but the Vikings extended points with their digging and took the set, 25-21. Two different Vikings recorded seven digs in the set in Ellie Snook and Sophia Meyerswhile Madison Friebel and Makayla Lewis also had three digs each.
Meyers’ seven digs meant she nearly had a double-double in the first set alone as she also led the Vikings offensively. Meyers finished with nine kills on .571 hitting, giving her half of the Vikings’ 18 kills in the set. Meyers’ production helped the Vikings hit .366 as a team, which was their second-best percentage in a set this season.
Lewis had four kills of her own in the opening set, while the Vikings got good production out of their right-side hitters in their 6-2 formation – a theme that would continue across the whole match. Parker Webb and Jasmine Powell each had two kills in the first set, while they’d finished the match with nine and eight, respectively. The 17 combined kills are the most the Vikings have gotten out of their right sides this season, and both players hit .280 or better Friday.
The Vikings’ serve receive let them down a bit in the second set, however, as the Aggies turned the match in their favor. A 12-1 run over the first half of the second set in which the Aggies recorded five aces gave them full control. Defense then led the Aggies in the third and fourth sets as they held the Vikings to less than .125 hitting in both frames while closing the door on the match.
Meyers finished with 18 kills and 14 digs for her third double-double of the season. Her 18 kills tied her career high for a second time this season, as she also had 18 kills in the Vikings’ five-set road win over UTEP. Webb and Powell followed with their nine and eight kills, respectively, while Lewis added six and middle blockers Ashleigh Barto and Ashlyn Blotzer chipped in four each.
Four different Vikings ended up in double figures for digs, the first time that’s happened since the Vikings’ season opener against Long Beach State on Aug. 26. Lewis led the Vikings with 16 digs, while Snook had 15 and Meyers finished with 14. Friebel added 11 digs as part of her second double-double of the season as she also finished with 24 assists.
Friebel and fellow setter Ella Hartford both traded off well in the Vikings’ 6-2 formation. Friebel led the Vikings with 24 assists, while Hartford recorded 16, a new season high for her.
The Aggies held a significant advantage at the net, however, as they out-blocked the Vikings 11.0-to-4.0. Ten of the Aggies’ 11 blocks came after the Vikings’ strong opening set of the match.
The Vikings continue at the Asics Invitational tomorrow when they’ll face North Texas in another neutral-site match at Gill Coliseum. North Texas lost 3-1 to host Oregon State earlier in the day Friday, and will play the University of Portland at 5 p.m. Friday evening.
First serve between the Vikings and North Texas is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 3-6 all time against Utah State with the loss Friday…Friday’s match was the first between the two teams since 1999…Snook cracked 1,700 digs in her career during Friday’s match and now needs only 39 more to pass Eavi Shovlin (1994-97) for second on the all-era list in program history.