Box Score (PSU vs. Gonzaga – PDF)  |  Box Score (PSU vs. Gonzaga – HTML)

Box Score (PSU vs. Boise State – PDF)  |  Box Score (PSU vs. Boise State – HTML)

BOISE – The Portland State volleyball team closed out the Northwest Challenge on Saturday by splitting a pair of matches, starting with a 3-2 victory over Gonzaga, before falling 3-2 to host Boise State.

In the opener, the Vikings got 22 kills and 13 digs from Whitney Phillips, and redshirt freshman Garyn Schlatter also tallied a double-double, dishing out a match-high 45 assists while also digging 10 balls.

The Vikings (3-3) won by scores of 25-14, 18-25, 25-8, 23-25, 15-13. The eight points they gave up in set three marked the first time they had held an opponent under 10 since Sept. 17, 2005, when they defeated Prairie View A&M, 30-5, in set three of a sweep.

The first frame against Gonzaga (2-4) was close early, before Portland State broke away. Up 8-7, the Vikings would score 11 of the next 14 points to take a 19-10 advantage. The Vikings rattled off six straight points at one point during the run.

PSU would dominate the third stanza. After Gonzaga took a 2-1 lead right out of the intermission, the Vikings scored 10 of the next 11 points for an 11-3 advantage and then cruised from there.

Set five featured five tie scores, the last at 8-8. The Vikings had it at match point, 14-11, but the Bulldogs scored two straight to pull back into it. Phillips would close out the victory for PSU, though, with a kill.

The Vikings also got stellar performances from middle blocker Lana Zielke, outside hitter Megan Ellis and libero Nicole Bateham. Zielke registered 10 kills, five blocks and a .444 hitting mark, Ellis racked up 11 kills and hit .389, and Bateham had a match-best 21 digs.

For Gonzaga, Caitlin Cozad finished with 14 kills and four blocks, and Schylur Edelman hit .391 with 11 kills.

In the tournament closing match, Boise State (4-2) squeaked out a 25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13 win. The match was tied on 28 occasions and the lead exchanged hands 10 times.

In the fifth and deciding set, Portland State led 11-9 after a kill by Zielke, but the Broncos rallied with four straight points before earning the victory.

Phillips paced PSU with 20 kills, Zielke added 12 more and hit .323, while also notching six blocks, and Schlatter had another double-double with 46 assists and 12 digs. Bateham once again finished with 21 digs as four PSU players finished in double-digits.

Alisha Young was the star for Boise State, racking up 29 kills, a .463 hitting percentage and eight blocks. Setter Breann Nesselhuf chipped in 58 assists and eight blocks, and Fiona Jones had 14 kills.

Portland State returns to action on Tuesday when they host Oregon at 7 p.m.

NOTES: Zielke was named to the all-tournament team. The senior hit .383 while averaging 2.08 kills and 1.15 blocks per set in three matches ... PSU finished with 18 service aces at the two-day tourney, getting four each from Bateham, Zielke and Diana Villalpando ... against Boise State, Villalapando recorded 18 digs, Dominika Kristinikova had 14 more, and Christie Hamilton finished with 10 kills and six blocks ... Kristinikova tallied her first career double-double in the match, as she also handed out 10 assists ... PSU has won four straight over Gonzaga.