Follow @PSU_Vikings


Box Score - PDF | HTML

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – After falling behind two sets to none, the Portland State volleyball team rallied back to force a fourth set with a big 26-24 win in the third. They pushed the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks to the brink of a fifth set but could not complete the comeback and fell in four sets by scores of 25-21, 25-16, 28-26, and 25-22.
 
Senior outside hitter Cheyne Corrado came up big for the Vikings (2-11 overall) in the match with a career-high 18 kills. Corrado had matched her previous high of 17 twice previously this season. She added 12 digs in the match for her team-high third double-double of the season, eighth of her career.
 
Fellow senior outside hitter Leigh-Ann Haataja matched her previous career high mark of 15 kills in the match on a career-high 43 attacks. Haataja added five blocks in the match with moved her over the 400-career block plateau. She now has 401 career blocks, which tied her with Erica Jepsen (2006-09).
 
The Vikings were tough at the net over the second and third sets posting six of their 10 blocks over the final two frames. Senior MB Katie O'Brien posted a match-high eight blocks. Her eight blocks moved her into a tie for eighth all-time with Shelley Rumberger (1985-88) at 397.
 
Portland State freshman setter Erin Clark put together one of her best performances of the season Thursday night with a near-triple-double. Clark finished with 42 assists, nine kills, and nine digs. She went 9-for-14 with no errors (.643) in the match. It was the fourth time this season she has posted 40-plus assists in a match.
 
Northern Arizona (10-2) went up big early in the first set with an 11-3 advantage. The Vikings came storming back with a 9-2 run behind tough serving from Clark and back-to-back blocks from Haataja and O'Brien to pull within one at 13-12. Kills from Haataja and Corrado tied the set at 16-16. The teams traded points to 19-19 before NAU scored two straight to go up 21-19. The 'Jacks took four of the next six points to take the first set 25-21.
 
The Lumberjacks took the lead early in the second set and went up by eight points at 15-7. The Vikings tried to close the gap but NAU took the second set 25-16 to go up two sets to none.
 
The Vikings struggled offensively through the first two sets and hit .042 at the break. That all changed in the third set. The Vikings hit .304 in the third set with 22 kills after combining for 19 kills over the first two sets. Corrado had the hot hand in the third frame going 9-for-18 with no errors.
 
Northern Arizona led through much of the third set before the Vikings tied it at 16-16. NAU retook the lead at 19-17 but back-to-back kills from Corrado tied it again at 19-19. The 'Jacks had match-point at 24-20 but the Vikings held serve and scored five straight to take their first lead of the set at 25-24. The teams traded points to 26-26 before two more kills from Corrado forced a fourth set with a 26-24 win in third.
 
The fourth set was played pretty even with both teams hitting over .350 with 17 kills each. The difference came at the service line. The Lumberjacks came up with three key aces late in the fourth that turned the tide in their favor.
 
With the fourth set was tied at 20-20, NAU put together three straight points to give the Lumberjacks a three-point lead at 23-20. The Vikings tried to hold on with a pair of kills from Haataja but NAU closed out the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth.
 
NAU's Janae Vander Ploeg had a match-high 20 kills on 59 attacks. She also tallied 14 digs as the Lumberjacks had five players with double-digit digs.
 
The Vikings will have a short turnaround as they head to Cedar City, Utah where they will take on the Southern Utah Thunderbirds Saturday at 1 p.m. MT. The T-Birds were down two sets to none Thursday night against Sacramento State before taking the next two to force a decisive fifth set. The fourth set was a marathon 32-30 win for the Thunderbirds who eventually took the match, 15-13, in the fifth.
 
NOTES: Thursday was the fourth time this season PSU has forced a fourth set after dropping the first two … Leigh-Ann Haataja moved into a tie for sixth all-time in total blocks with five against NAU … Katie O'Brien moved into a tie for eighth all-time in total blocks with eight … O'Brien's eight blocks matched an individual team season high … Portland State had its nine-match Big Sky regular season winning streak snapped along with its five-match Big Sky regular season road winnings streak.