CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Portland State volleyball team has punched its ticket to the 2017 Big Sky Conference Volleyball Championship with its four-set win over Southern Utah Thursday night in Cedar City, Utah.
 
After dropping the opening frame, 25-22, Portland State took the next three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-12 to close out the win. The Vikings improved to 18-5 overall on the season, matching its best record since moving to the NCAA Division I level prior to the 1996 season.
 
The Viking are now 9-2 in conference play and just one match behind Sacramento State for first place in the league standing after the Hornets fell in five sets at Northern Arizona Thursday. Portland State plays at NAU Saturday morning beginning at 12 a.m. PT.
 
Portland State had four players with double-digit kills, including both of their middle blockers for the second consecutive match. SO OH Caitlin Bettenay led all players with a match-high 21 kills, her fourth 20-kill match of the year. She hit .194 on 62 swings, added one of the team's two service aces, and matched her season high with three blocking assists.
 
Junior middle blockers Mikaelyn Sych and Katy Wilson each tallied 10 kills in the match and hit .562 and .429 respectively. Sych had three blocks, while Wilson added five, including a solo block. SO OH Toni McDougald came off the bench for 11 kills, while hitting .233.  
 
Portland State tallied 71 digs in the match, 23 by SR L Tasha Bojanic to lead all players. JR DS Haley Glass added 14 digs in the match.
 
Portland State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead. Southern Utah came back to tie the set before taking a 14-11 lead with a 5-0 run. After a PSU timeout, the Vikings took seven of the next eight points to go up 18-15. It was Southern Utah's turn to call a timeout. The Thunderbirds took the next four points, including back-to-back aces to go up 19-18.
 
Southern Utah maintained its advantage and won the opening set 25-22. It was the first time this season that the Vikings have dropped the opening set and then come back to win. They were previously 0-5.
 
After being out hit in the first set, the Vikings came back and took the second set 25-18. Portland State took advantage of a pair of runs midway through the frame. Bettenay found her grove in the second with eight kills, one ace, and all three of her blocks.
 
The third set was close throughout. The Vikings went up by four at 16-12 before the Thunderbirds closed the gap to just one point at 21-20. A kill by Bettenay and an attacking error by SUU put the Vikings up 23-20.
 
The T-Birds scored the next two before kills from Bettenay and McDougald closed out the set to give PSU the 25-22 win. Both Bettenay and McDougald tallied five kills in the third.
 
Portland State jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the fourth. A 6-0 run put the Vikings up 19-7 and it was all PSU the rest of the way. Sych closed out the match with her 10th kill, to give the Vikings the 25-12 win in the fourth and the 3-1 win in the match.
 
Portland State and SR S Erin Clark mixed it up in the fourth and fed the middles more. Wilson tallied six kills in the frame, while Sych added four.
 
Clark finished with a match-high 56 assists for her ninth career 50-assist match, fourth of the season. She added seven digs and an ace.
 
Portland State heads to Flagstaff, Ariz. for morning matchup with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. NAU has won three straight, including taking down previously undefeated in league play Sacramento State in five sets.