PORTLAND – The Vikings suffered a heartbreaking five-set loss to the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Saturday night at the Peter W. Stott Center.
 
Portland State (14-10 overall, 6-6 Big Sky Conference) took the first set 25-20 before Northern Arizona (20-5, 10-2) took the second set 25-23 to tie the match. The Vikings took a marathon third set 30-28 before the Lumberjacks came back again to take the fourth 25-21, to send the match to the decisive fifth set.
 
The 'Jacks took an early 4-1 lead in the fifth before the Vikings came back to tie it at 4-4. NAU took the lead and did not give it back, en route to a 15-11 in the fifth set.
 
Defense was paramount through the entire match. Portland State recorded a team season-high 106 digs, led by junior L Tasha Bojanic's career-high 35 digs. She tallied her 1,000th career digs with 14 digs in the third set.
 
The match seemed to be decided at the net. Portland State recorded a team season-high 16 blocks but hit into a season-high 20 blocks tallied by Northern Arizona. NAU's plus-four block advantage and the fact that the Vikings were minus-nine in attacking errors (34-to-25), ultimately made the difference.  
 
Senior OH Pati Anae led the Vikings' offensive attack with 19 kills on a career-high 75 attacks. She added 18 digs for her team-high 12th double-double of the season.
 
Freshman OH Caitlin Bettenay recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 10 kills and a career-high 14 digs in the loss. Sophomore OH Eva Linden came off the bench for her third double-digit kill performance with 10. It was the eighth time this season a player has come off the bench for double-digit kills.
 
Junior S Erin Clark posted her 10th double-double of the season with 40 assists and 14 digs in the match. She added six kills and four blocks.
 
Six Vikings combined for the Vikings' season-high 16.0 blocks, led by sophomore MB Katy Wilson's career-high eight blocks. Wilson, who matched her previous career high with seven blocks Thursday against Southern Utah, tallied a solo block and seven blocking assists in the match. She also added eight kills and nine digs in the match for a near triple-double.
 
Portland State took an early 3-1 lead before Northern Arizona tied the set at 4-4. The Vikings were able to build an 11-7 lead after three straight kills, two from sophomore S/OH Kylie Copple and one from Anae. The score bounced back and forth before NAU was able to take the lead on back-to-back aces, for its first lead of the match, which forced PSU to call a timeout.
 
Copple came out of the timeout with her fifth kill of the set to tie it at 19-19. After a 'Jacks kill, their fifth service error of the set tied it at 20-20. Copple came back with a tough serve, which came back over the net for Wilson to hit right to the floor, to give the Vikings a 21-20 lead. After a couple of nice defensive plays, Anae's sixth kill of the set made it 22-20, which forced NAU to take its first timeout of the set.
 
Back-to-back attacking errors by the Lumberjacks gave the Vikings set point. A big block by Wilson and Linden gave the Vikings a 25-20 win in the opening frame. Anae led all players with six kills in the set, while hitting .333. Copple added four kills, five assists, and three digs in the set.
 
With the scored tied at 3-3 in the second set, NAU was able to go on a 3-0 run to go up 6-3 before a 'Jacks service error, their sixth of the match, made it 6-4. The Vikings took three of the next four points to pull within one at 7-6. The Lumberjacks took the largest lead of the match at 13-8 following a 4-0 run, which forced a Portland State timeout.
 
The Vikings took three of the next four points out of the timeout to pull within three at 14-11. NAU increased its lead to 17-12, forcing PSU to take its final timeout of the second set. The Vikings came back with back-to-back blocks, including a solo block by Linden, to make it 17-14, which forced NAU to call its first timeout of the set.
 
The Vikings fought back and tied it at 23-23 following a kill from Linden before back-to-back attacking errors by the Vikings gave Northern Arizona the 25-23 win in the seconds set.
 
Both teams hit below .100 in the second set as they both picked it up on the defensive end. Portland State had 25 digs and six blocks in the second set.
 
Portland State jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the third before Northern Arizona started to chip away at the Vikings' lead. NAU pulled within one at 7-6 before a 4-0 run by the Vikings made it 11-6. The 'Jacks pulled within three at 12-9 before the Vikings took four of the next five points to take a six-point lead at 16-10.
 
Later in the set, NAU came out of a timeout with a service ace right on the back line to make it 22-20. The next serve went long to make it 23-20. A middle attack from Linden gave the Vikings their first set point at 24-21. After a Lumberjacks' kill, another attacking error by the Vikings, their 11th of the set, made it 24-23, which forced PSU's final timeout of the set.
 
The teams traded points to 25-25 after the timeout before a monster kill from Anae gave the Vikings another set point. The 'Jacks fought off five set points before a cross-court kill from Linden gave the Vikings the 30-28 win in the third to go up 2-1.
 
Portland State's defense came up huge in the third. The Vikings tallied 45 digs in the third set, led by Bojanic's 14. It was the most by the Vikings in a single set this season. The Vikings added four blocks and served tough all set long, keeping the 'Jacks off balance. They tallied a trio of aces in the frame. Anae added six kills and 12 digs in the third.
 
Portland State scored the first four points of the fourth set before Northern Arizona pulled within one at 4-3. The Vikings took an 8-5 lead before three straight by NAU tied it at 8-8. The 'Jacks took the lead and extended it to 15-12.
 
The Vikings pulled within two at 20-18 before another kill by the Lumberjacks made it 21-18. Clark countered with a kill to make it 21-19. NAU took three of the next four points to go up 24-20. The Vikings fought off one set point before the Lumberjacks took the set 25-21.
 
Both offenses picked up in the fourth. NAU hit .364 in the frame, while PSU hit .229. After tallying 45 digs in the third, the Vikings recorded just nine in the fourth.
 
NAU opened up the fifth with a block before Anae's 17th kill made it 1-1. The Lumberjacks went up 4-1 before three straight kills tied it at 4-4. A block from Clark and Wilson gave the Vikings' their first lead of the fifth at 5-4. A quick NAU kill tied it at 5-5.
 
Two-straight kills by the 'Jacks gave them a 7-5 lead. Anae's 19th kill made it 7-6 before a kill from Jacobsen made it 8-6. The teams traded points to 10-8 in favor of NAU. Back-to-back kills from the 'Jacks increased their advantage to 12-8, which forced a Portland State timeout.
 
The teams traded the next four points, which gave NAU match point at 14-10. The Vikings' final attacking error of the match gave the 'Jacks a 15-11 win in the fifth.
 
The loss was just the third at home this season for the Vikings and their first in five sets. Portland State is now 6-3 at home on the year.
 
Portland State hits the road next week for its final road trip of the season. The Vikings open the week at Montana on Thursday, Nov. 3 before finishing at Sacramento State on Saturday, Nov. 5.
 
NOTES:
• Portland State tallied a season-high 105 digs in the match.
• Portland State recorded 45 digs in the third set, a single-set season high.
• Portland State had four players with double-digit digs.
• Senior OH Pati Anae recorded her team-best 12th double-double with 19 kills and 18 digs.
• Junior S Erin Clark recorded her 10th double-double with 40 assists and 14 digs.
• Junior L Tasha Bojanic recorded a career-high 35 digs.
• Bojanic recorded her 1,000th career dig in the match.