Box Score - PDF | HTML
MISSOULA, Mont. – Senior outside hitter
Leigh-Ann Haataja posted a career-high 16 kills but it was not enough as the Vikings fell in five sets at Montana Friday night. After dropping the first two sets, the Vikings won the next two to force a decisive fifth set. Montana took the fifth set, 15-13, to win the match.
Haataja led the Vikings with 16 kills and hit .353 (16-4-34) for the match. She added four blocking assists for the match. Freshman outside hitter
Roni LaPierre added 11 kills.
Senior libero Kasimira "Kasi" Clark inched closer to the Portland State all-time career digs mark with 25 against the Grizzlies. Clark pulled within 20 digs of the all-time mark of 1,742 and became the second Viking to surpass the 1,700-dig mark.
The first set stayed relatively close. With the set tied at 14-14, Portland State (6-15 overall, 4-5 Big Sky Conference) went on a 4-1 run to go up 19-15. The Vikings could not separate and the Grizzlies scored four straight to tie it at 19-19. UM scored four of the next five points to go up 23-20.
Katie O'Brien got the Vikings back in it with back-to-back kills to pull within one. O'Brien then went up for a solo block to tie the set at 23-23. The Grizzlies scored the final two points of the set to take it 25-23. O'Brien hit .389 for the match with nine kills and four blocks (1-4).
Montana (4-17, 4-5) led through the first half of the second set and led 10-8. Portland State scored the next six points to go up 14-10. The Vikings went up 19-16 before the Grizzlies scored three straight to tie it at 19-19. Montana scored six of the final eight points to take the set 25-21 and go up 2-0 in the match.
The Vikings had their most complete set of the match hitting .400 (13-3-25) in the third. After the set was tied at 7-7, PSU went on a 13-3 run to go up 20-10 behind some tough serving from setter
Shelbi Miyashiro. Miyashiro ended the match with a career-high 32 assists. The Vikings finished out the set to take it 25-13.
Senior outside hitter
Cheyne Corrado put the Vikings up 21-20 with a service ace in the fourth set. The Vikings closed out the fourth taking four of the finals six points to win 25-22 to force a fifth set. LaPierre led the way for the Vikings with seven kills in the set.
Montana went up 4-0 early in the fifth. After falling behind 10-5 midway through the fifth, the Vikings pulled to within one at 13-12. However, they could not complete the comeback and fell 15-13 to lose the match 3-2.
The Vikings have a quick turnaround, as they will play Montana State Saturday at 7 p.m. MT in Bozeman, Mont.
NOTES:
Leigh-Ann Haataja posted a career-high 16 kills … Kasimira "Kasi" Clark tallied 25 digs surpassing the 1,700-career dig mark …
Shelbi Miyashiro tallied a career-high 32 assists.
