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LAS VEGAS – Portland State took the first two sets, but UNLV fought back and took the next three to take the match in five Friday night at the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
The Vikings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with 25-22 and 25-21 wins in the first two sets. The Rebels caught fire in the third to take it 25-15. They tied the match at 2-2 with a 25-22 win in the fourth before holding on to their momentum and taking the fifth set 15-7.
 
It was the first time the Vikings had won the first two sets in a loss since falling in five sets to UC Irvine on Sept. 10, 2011.
 
Portland State was on fire at the service line tallying nine aces over the first two sets. The Vikings added two more in the third but then went cold with none over the final two frames.
 
Freshman OH Eva Linden posted a career-high 18 kills, the most by a Viking this season. It was her fifth-straight double-digit kill performance. She now leads the team with 3.14 kills per set.
 
Fellow freshman OH Jenna Mullen and junior OH Pati Anae each added 13 and 10 kills respectively. Anae added 12 digs in the match for her third double-double of the season. It was the first time this season that PSU had three players with double-digit kills.
 
The Vikings came out of the gate ready to go in the first set and hit .412 with 16 kills and just two errors en route to a 25-22 win. The tides turned in the second as the Vikings struggled from the floor hitting just .118, compared to .360 by UNLV, but the Vikings tallied six aces in the set to go up 2-0 with a 25-21 win.
 
The Rebels kept their hot hitting going over the next two sets taking both by scores of 25-15 and 25-22 to tie the match and force a decisive fifth set. The momentum the Rebels picked up with back-to-back set wins kept going as they took the fifth set 15-7 to complete their comeback.
 
Portland State fell to 3-5 overall with the loss while UNLV improved to 5-3.
 
The Vikings will have one more opportunity to get into the win column when they take on Southeastern Louisiana Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PT. The Lady Lions fell in straight sets to UNLV Friday before falling to Oral Roberts in four sets.
 
NOTES: Pati Anae recorded her third double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs … Eva Linden posted a career-high 18 kills … Portland State had three players with double-digit kills for the first time this season … Portland State posted a season-high 11 service aces … Portland State went to five sets for the first time this season.