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PORTLAND – The Vikings stayed perfect in conference play with their sixth straight victory Saturday night at the Peter W. Stott Center. After dropping the first set, the Vikings won three straight to defeat the Thunderbirds, 3-1.

Portland State (10-7 overall, 6-0 Big Sky Conference) held Southern Utah (7-10, 3-3) to just .062 hitting including holding the Thunderbirds' top scorer, Analaine Mailoto to a negative hitting percentage. The Vikings took the match by scores of 18-25, 25-15, 25-12, and 25-14.

Junior outside hitter Jaklyn Wheeler led all players with 17 kills while recording seven digs in the match. Junior outside hitter Aubrey Mitchell posted the next best kill total for the Vikings with nine. Senior outside hitter Megan Ellis added eight kills and a match-high 17 digs.

“They're coming through every night for us,” head coach Michael Seemann said of Ellis and Wheeler. “That's what we expect of our upperclassman. The experience that they have is paying off in these matches, at home or on the road. It's huge that they can come in and be consistent and be a rock for us.”

The Vikings led early in the first at 8-5 before the Thunderbirds rattled off 11 straight points, including three straight service aces, to go up 16-8. Katie O'Brien got the Vikings back on the board with a kill to stop the Thunderbirds' run. Southern Utah would take the first set 25-18 after outhitting Portland State .294-to-.184.  However, that would be the last time the Thunderbirds outhit the Vikings in a set.

Portland State led wire-to-wire in the second set taking it by a score of 25-15. The Vikings outhit the Thunderbirds .259-to-.086. The Vikings spread the ball around in the second set with five players recording two kills. Garyn Schlatter recorded five assists while Kasi Clark tallied three in the set.

The Vikings took a 4-2 lead in the third before five consecutive Thunderbird attacking errors, followed by a Thunderbird ball handling error, gave the Vikings a 10-2 lead. Wheeler then added a kill to make it 11-2. Wheeler tallied seven kills in the set, including the final two points, leading the Vikings to the 25-12 win in the third.

The Vikings held the Thunderbirds to a -.133 (7-11-30) hitting percentage. It was the third time they have held an opponent to a negative hitting percentage in a set this season. It was also the lowest single-set hitting percentage they have held an opponent to this season.

Portland State continued its defensive dominance in the fourth set by again holding Southern Utah to a negative hitting percentage, this time at -.033 (7-8-30).

The score bounced back and forth early in the fourth before the Vikings took the lead at 5-4 and did not look back. The Vikings were up 19-13 late in the set before going on a 5-0 run to go to match point at 24-14. After a Thunderbird point, it was a quick kill by Schlatter along the sideline that won it for the Vikings.

Portland State outhit Southern Utah .220-to-.062 in the match. It was the second lowest hitting percentage allowed by the Vikings this season, they held Eastern Washington to a .061 hitting percentage during the opening weekend of conference play.

The Vikings are back home next week when they host Northern Colorado on Thursday, Oct. 4 before welcoming conference newcomer North Dakota to the Stott Center on Saturday, Oct. 6. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start.

NOTES: Saturday marked the first ever meeting between the Vikings and Thunderbirds … Portland State held an opponent to negative set hitting percentages twice for the first time this season … Jaklyn Wheeler led all scorers with 17 kills and 18.5 points … Kasi Clark recorded her second career kill … Portland State is now 7-1 when outhitting their opponent.