OGDEN, Utah – The Vikings picked up their second Big Sky Conference road win with a four-set win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds Saturday night in Ogden, Utah. The Vikings had four players with double-digit kills for the fourth time this season led by senior OH Pati Anae's match high 23 kills.
 
Portland State (11-9 overall, 3-5 Big Sky Conference) took the first two sets by scores of 25-18 and 27-25. Southern Utah (3-17, 1-7) took the third set 25-16 before the Vikings hit .438 to take the final frame 25-15.
 
Anae spearheaded the Vikings' offense with her 23 kills. It was her sixth 20-kill match of the season. She hit .264 (23-9-53) in the match with a pair of service aces and nine digs. She tallied just three kills in the opening frame before leading the Vikings with eight in the second. She added six in each of the final two sets.
 
Freshman OH Caitlin Bettenay posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career with 10 kills and 12 digs Saturday night. She tallied 13 kills and 10 digs Thursday night at Northern Arizona.
 
Portland State had both of its starting middle blockers post double-figures kills for the first time this season as sophomores Katy Wilson and Mikaelyn Sych each either matched or set new career highs in kills. Wilson matched her career high with 13 kills with a .632 (13-1-19) hitting mark. Sych posted her second-straight double-digit kill performance with a career-high 11 kills on a career-high 30 attempts.
 
Junior S Erin Clark posted her fifth 50-assist match of the season with 54 against the Thunderbirds with nine digs. Her 54-assist performance moved her past the 1,800 career assist mark. She now has 1,822 assists, 52 shy of tying for 10th all-time at Portland State since 1982. She is currently fifth at Portland State during PSU's Division I era.
 
Tied at 13-13 midway through the first set, Portland State went on a 7-1 run to go up 20-14. The Vikings took the opening set 25-18 on back-to-back kills from junior Kylie Copple. Copple tallied a career-high eight kills in the match.
 
The second set went back and forth with 16 ties and six lead changes. With the set tied at 24-24, Wilson gave the Vikings their second set point with a kill. Southern Utah fought it off with a kill of its own. Wilson came back with another kill to put the Vikings up 26-25. Clark finished off the set with a quick kill to give the Vikings a 27-25 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Southern Utah came out of the break and hit .469, while holding Portland State to a .132 hitting mark, to take the third 25-16.
 
Portland State countered with a .438 hitting mark in the fourth set en route to a 25-15 win in the fourth to take the match 3-1. Anae led the Vikings with six kills in the set while Bettenay went 4-for-8 with no errors.
 
Saturday's match marked the midway point for the Vikings as they navigate through the Big Sky season. The Vikings have played six of their first eight conference matches on the road so far and will play six of their next eight at home in the second half.
 
Portland State opens the second half of its conference season with four-straight home matches, their longest home stand of the season, beginning with Eastern Washington on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Peter W. Stott Center.
 
NOTES:
• Kylie Copple tallied a career-high eight kills.
• Pati Anae tallied a match-high 23 kills for her sixth 20-kill match of the season.
• Caitlin Bettenay posted her third double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs.
• Katy Wilson matched her career high in kills with 13.
• Erin Clark posted her fifth 50-assist match of the year.
• Clark surpassed the 1,800-assist mark for her career.
• Mikaelyn Sych recorded a career-high 11 kills.
• Portland State had two middle blockers with double-digit kills for the first time this season.
• Portland State had four players in double-digit kills for the fourth time this year.
• Portland State won after being out-hit for the fifth time this season.