MOSCOW, Idaho – Junior middle blockers Katy Wilson and Mikaelyn Sych came up big as the Vikings swept the Idaho Vandals Saturday night in Moscow, Idaho. The Vikings took the match by scores of 25-23, 25-21, and 25-23.
 
The Portland State (17-5 overall, 8-2 Big Sky Conference) offense ran through the middle against Idaho (12-9, 7-3). For the first time this season, both starting middle blockers recorded double-digit kills.
 
Wilson led the way with a team-high 12 kills on a season-high 20 attacks. She hit .400 for the match and was in on both of PSU's blocks in the match. Sych posted her third double-digit kill match of the season with 10 kills on 15 swings, with no attacking errors.
 
For the first time this season, the Vikings were outhit and won. They hit .263, while the Vandals hit .290. The Vikings struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the first set but started figuring things out in the second. After hitting .091 in the first, Portland State hit .341 in the second and .415 in the third.
 
The difference in the first set came at the service line. Portland State tallied a pair of service aces with no errors, while Idaho recorded three service errors.
 
Idaho took the first two points of the match before a 5-0 run by the Vikings put them up 5-2. After trading points, PSU went on a 6-0 run to go up 12-4 on a kill from SO OH Toni McDougald. After Idaho recorded three-straight points, Portland State rattled off three of its own.
 
The Vandals fought back and tied the set at 23-23, but a kill from McDougald, followed by a kill from FR OH Parker Webb, gave the Vikings the 25-23 win in the first.
 
Portland State once again jumped out to an early lead at 5-1. They extended their lead to 15-9 midway through the second before going up 18-11 after a 3-0 run. The Vikings got stuck in a bad service rotation as Idaho went on a 7-0 run to tie the set at 18-18. After trading points to 19-19, the Vikings scored four of the next five points to go up 23-20. After a UI kill, a kill from Sych and an ace from SR L Tasha Bojanic gave the Vikings the 25-21 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Portland State took the first three points of the third before Idaho went on a 5-1 run to take the lead. The teams traded points to 7-7, before a 4-0 run by the Vikings gave them an 11-7 advantage. PSU maintained its four-point lead to 19-15 before Idaho went on a 7-1 run to retake the lead at 22-20.
 
Back-to-back kills from Sych tied the set at 22-22 before a kill from Bettenay and a bad set by the Vandals gave the Vikings set point at 24-22. Two points later, a kill from JR OH Sarah Brennan, her third of the match, gave the Vikings the 25-23 win to complete the sweep.
 
Bettenay added 10 kills in the match, along with 12 digs, for her sixth double-double of the season. McDougald added eight kills, while Webb added seven.
 
SR S Erin Clark tallied 39 assists, eight digs, two kills, and a block in the match, while SR L Tasha Bojanic led the Vikings with a team-high 17 digs.
 
Portland State hits the road again next week for a pair of Big Sky South Division matches. The Vikings head to Cedar City, Utah to take on Southern Utah Thursday, Oct. 26 before heading to Flagstaff, Ariz. for a rematch with Northern Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 28.