SAN DIEGO, Calif. – After dropping a match to host San Diego State earlier in the day, the Vikings rolled to a three-set win over Eastern Kentucky to wrap up play at the Aztec Invitational with a 2-1 record on the young season.
 
It was a tale of two matches for Portland State offense. After hitting just .176 against the Aztecs in their first match of the day, the Vikings hit a season-high .376 in a sweep of Eastern Kentucky.
 
Portland State's Aztec Invitational finale against Eastern Kentucky (2-1 overall) was the Vikings' most complete match of the season. They hit .376, tallied nine service aces, recorded 8.0 blocks at the net, and held the Colonels to an .099 hitting percentage.
 
Sophomore Caitlin Bettenay tallied double-digit kills in both matches on the day, including her first double-double of the year with 12 kills and 10 digs against EKU. Bettenay hit .346 against the Colonels with 12 kills and just three errors on 26 swings. She added a service ace and assisted on a pair of blocks.
 
Freshman Parker Webb recorded a career-high nine kills against EKU and hit .600 (6-0-10) in the opening frame. She ended the match hitting .350 with a pair of service aces of her own.
 
Sarah Brennan and Katy Wilson each added seven kills for the Vikings. Wilson made her presence known in virtually every aspect of the match against the Colonels. To go along with her seven kills, Wilson added a trio of blocks and recorded three service aces, all on the same service rotation late in the final set.
 
Senior Erin Clark tallied 37 assists, four kills, two blocks, and an ace. As a team, the Vikings tallied nine aces against the Colonels with just four service errors.
 
Eastern Kentucky came into the match 2-0 after defeating CSUN (3-2) and San Diego State (3-1). The opening frame played the closest with the Vikings coming out on top, 25-23.
 
Portland State went up 12-7 early in the first set before Eastern Kentucky came back to tie it at 12-12. The Colonels took a two-point lead at 19-17 before a kill from Wilson and a solo block from Mikaelyn Sych tied it at 20-20. EKU took the next point but the Vikings took four of the final five points, which included three kills from Webb, to take the first set.
 
The score stayed close through the early stages of the second set. The Vikings took a 14-9 lead after riding the arm of Bettenay who tallied eight kills in the set. Webb took over in the last stages with a pair of kills and then finished the set with a service ace to give the Vikings a 25-15 win.
 
The Vikings put together their most dominate set in years to close out the Colonels in the third. Portland State hit .588 (10-0-17) with four blocks and an astounding seven service aces.
 
After allowing Eastern Kentucky to score back-to-back points to tie the third set at 2-2, Portland State did not give up back-to-back points the rest of the frame. The Vikings went on runs of 4-0, 7-0, 3-0, and 5-0 during the set before kills from Brennan and Sych gave the Vikings a 25-7 win in the third set to sweep the Colonels.
 
It was the first time since 2014 that the Vikings held an opponent to single-digit points in a set and the seven points allowed were the fewest in a non-fifth set since scoring went to 25 points for the 2008 season.
 
Earlier in the day, the Vikings fell to host San Diego State in straight sets. The Aztecs took the match by scores of 25-19, 25-22, and 25-17.
 
Portland State held a 6-5 lead early in the first set against San Diego State before the Aztecs went on a 13-0 run to take a commanding 18-7 lead. The Vikings fought back to close the gap but dropped the opening frame 25-19.
 
It was a similar story in set two against San Diego State. The Vikings trailed 12-11 before another run by the Aztecs gave the home team a 19-11 lead. Portland State pulled within two at 23-21 but the Aztecs took two of the final three points to win 25-22.
 
The Aztecs run came early in the third set as they got out to a 7-2 lead. San Diego State maintained its lead to take the third set 25-17.
 
The Vikings head back on the road next week for three matches at the Gonzaga Invitational. They will take on Nevada, Arizona State, and Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash.