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PORTLAND – The Portland State volleyball team fell to the Montana Grizzlies, 3-1, Thursday night at the Peter W. Stott Center. The Vikings struggled to find their rhythm late, and dropped the final two frames to lose in four.
 
Montana took the match by scores of 28-26, 22-25, 25-14, and 25-13 to improve to 6-15 overall on the season and 2-7 in Big Sky Conference action. Portland State fell to 6-15 and 2-7.
 
The first set was the closest of the four, going back and forth through out the set. Portland State led 23-21 before three-straight points by Montana gave the Grizzlies a 24-23 lead. The Vikings staved off set point and then got one of their own at 25-24. The Grizzlies bounced back and the teams traded points once again. With the the set tied at 26-26, a bad set by Portland State gave Montana the one-point lead before a Grizzlies' kill gave them the opening frame.
 
The second set began much like the first as neither team could build up any type of lead. The Vikings took their first three-point lead of the set at 14-11 midway through. The teams traded points back and forth before the Vikings took the second set, 25-22, thanks to a Kylie Copple kill.
 
Portland State hoped to build on its momentum coming out of the break but it did not work out that way. The Vikings got in a pair of bad rotations, back-to-back, as the Grizzlies went on an 11-2 run en route to a 25-14 win in the third set to go up two sets to one.
 
Montana rode its momentum from the win in the third to take the fourth set and the match, 25-13. Portland State hit -.030 for the set while Montana hit .286.
 
Freshmen outside hitters Jenna Mullen and Eva Linden led the way offensively for the Vikings tallying 11 kills apiece. Linden added eight digs, two shy of her fourth double-double.
 
Copple posted 31 assists and a Portland State career-high six kills along with four digs and a pair of blocking assists. Tasha Bojanic led the Vikings with 15 digs.
 
Montana's Hannah Sackett led all players with 19 kills. She added 11 digs for a double-double.
 
Portland State hosts Montana State Saturday evening at the Stott Center. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. PT start. The Bobcats fell in straight sets Thursday at Sacramento State.