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PORTLAND – It took an epic 34-32 win in the third set, but the Portland State volleyball team defeated the Montana State Bobcats in four sets Saturday night at the Peter W. Stott Center. The Vikings won the match by scores of 22-25, 25-23, 34-32, and 25-19.
 
"Within the third set I felt both extremely frustrated and also very triumphant," ninth-year Head Coach Michael Seemann said following the Vikings' first four-set win of the season. "It was definitely gut-check time.
 
"While we may have been frazzled in some of those points, whether we won or lost the point, we did a good job of resetting and making a conscious effort to move on to the next play. That put us in position to constantly serve for set point. Even when it tipped in their favor, we were still very determined and clear minded."
 
The Bobcats staved off the first 11 set points in the third set before the Vikings were finally able to put them away.
 
Portland State was up 24-20 late in the third frame before four-straight points by Montana State tied the set at 24-24. Freshman OH Eva Linden hit one down the line to give the Vikings the lead. Montana State tied it again with a kill before another kill by Linden put the Vikings up once again.
 
Linden again gave the Vikings the lead, but again the Bobcats tied it. MSU gave the Vikings the lead once more via a service error but then tied it again with a kill. After another service error by Montana State, the Bobcats came up with a block at the net to tie it at 28-28.
 
Freshman OH Jenna Mullen gave the Vikings the lead but another kill from MSU tied it at 29-29. Mullen gave the Vikings the lead once again with a kill but gave the point right back with an attacking error on the next play.
 
The Bobcats took their first lead of the third set with a kill to go up 31-30 but Linden was there to answer the call and tied it with kill off outstretched hands of a would-be block. Mullen came back with a big ace but the Bobcats fought back with a kill down the line to tie it at 32-32.
 
Linden put the Vikings up 33-32 before hitting the cross court kill to give the Vikings the marathon 34-32 win in the third set. Linden tallied a remarkable 13 kills in the third set alone en route to a career-high 21 kills. Linden tallied five of her 13 kills for the set after the set was tied at 24-24. Mullen added three kills and an ace after the set went to extra-points.
 
Linden tallied her career-high 21 kills while hitting .277 (21-8-47). She also added 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
 
Junior OH Pati Anae also recorded a career-high 21 kills in the match marking the first time since the 2012 season that the Vikings have had two players with 20-plus kills in the same match. Megan Ellis (22) and Jaklyn Wheeler (21) tallied 20-plus kills against Gonzaga to open the season. It was also the first time any Viking had tallied 20-plus kills in a match this season.
 
Anae added 16 digs in the match for her team-leading ninth double-double of the season. Sophomore L Tasha Bojanic led the Vikings with 21 digs in the match. It was her sixth 20-plus dig performance of the season.
 
Mullen added 16 kills in the match along with nine kills for a near double-double. Mullen's 16 kills gave the Vikings three players with 15-plus kills for the first time since they defeated Weber State in five sets during the 2007 Big Sky Tournament.
 
Portland State led the first set 21-19 before two-straight by Montana State tied it at 21-21. After trading points, three-straight attacking errors by the Vikings gave the Bobcats the 25-22 win.
 
The Vikings tied the match with a 25-23 win in the second frame. Portland State again led late in the set at 22-18. Montana State came all the way back to tie it at 23-23 before a kill from Linden and a solo block by freshman MB Katy Wilson gave the Vikings the win to tie the match at one set apiece.
 
After the dramatic 34-32 win in the third set, Portland State finished out the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth. Portland State got up big late at 22-15 before finishing off the match with the win in the fourth.
 
Portland State improved to 7-15 overall and 3-7 in Big Sky Conference play with the win. Montana State fell to 3-15 and 1-9.
 
The Vikings hit the road for a Thursday, Oct. 29 matchup with Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. before returning home to the Stott Center for a Halloween matchup with Sacramento State. Anyone with a ticket to the Portland State football game against Montana earlier in the day will receive free admission to the volleyball match.
 
MATCH NOTES NOTES:
• Jenna Mullen, Pati Anae, Katy Wilson, Tasha Bojanic, Sarah Liva, Eva Linden, and Kylie Copple started for Portland State.
• Portland State is now 2-10 on the season when losing the opening frame.
• Portland State is now 3-8 on the season when splitting the first two sets.
• Portland State is now 1-4 in four-set matches.
• Tasha Bojanic posted her 19th double-digit dig performance, 24th of her career.
• Portland State extended its winning streak against Montana State to 20 matches. The last PSU loss to MSU was in 2004.
• Last time Portland State had a set go to 30 points was a 31-29 win in the first set at Northern Colorado on Oct. 10, 2013.
• The third set was the longest set since the Vikings moved to the current scoring format in 2008.
• Portland State had three players with 15-plus kills for the first time since the Big Sky Tournament in 2007.
• Eva Linden posted a career-high 21 kills she became the first Vikings of the year to record 20 kills.
• Pati Anae recorded her ninth double-double with 21 kills and 16 digs.
• Kylie Copple became the first Viking since Garyn Schlatter in 2013 to post 50-plus assists in a match after posting a career-high 56 assists.