BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Vikings kept their winning streak rolling Thursday night with a straight-set win over the Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman, Mont. Portland State extended its winning streak to six matches, all via three-set sweeps.
 
Portland State (12-3 overall, 3-0 Big Sky Conference) took the match by scores of 25-13, 27-25, and 25-18. The Vikings extended their winning streak against Montana State (4-8, 0-3) to 22 matches.

The win also matches the Vikings' best record through 15 matches since moving to the NCAA Division I level prior to the 1996 season. Portland State went 12-3 to open the 2008 season.
 
SO OH Toni McDougald led the Vikings with 11 kills, while hitting .500 (11-0-22). She gave the Vikings an offensive spark and came up with some big kills just when they needed them. SO OH Caitlin Bettenay added 10 kills, four digs, and combined on three of the team's nine blocks.
 
Solid play at the net has been a staple for the Vikings over their current six-match winning streak. They have tallied 55.0 blocks for 3.06 blocks per set over that stretch. Leading the way has been JR MB Mikaelyn Sych who has assisted on 27.0 (1.50 blocks per set).
 
FR OH Parker Webb added nine kills while middle blockers Katy Wilson and Sych each added seven kills apiece.
 
SR S Erin Clark spread the ball around nicely with a match-high 38 assists. She added 12 digs for her team-best sixth double-double of the year. SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic put together a tremendous defensive effort with 22 digs (7.33 digs per set).
 
Portland State tallied just one service ace but served Montana State tough all match long. The Vikings kept the Bobcats off-balance throughout and held them to an .088 hitting mark, while hitting .296.
 
The score stayed within a point through the early stages of the opening frame before the Vikings went on a 5-0 run to go up 11-6, which forced a Bobcats timeout. Montana State ended the run with a kill coming out of the timeout.
 
The Vikings were not phased and rattled off four more points to extend their lead to 15-7 on a 9-1 run before Montana State called its second timeout of the set. The run extended again to 12-2 after the timeout as the Vikings built an 18-7 lead.
 
After going up 19-8, Montana State recorded three-straight points before a kill from Webb made it 20-11. Portland State closed it out and took the first set 25-13.
 
The Vikings hit .407 for the opening frame while the Bobcats had a negative hitting mark of -.056. Webb led the Vikings with four kills, while hitting .600 (4-1-5). The Vikings tallied a pair of block and were aided by nine unforced hitting errors by the Bobcats.
 
After the score bounced back and forth to start the second set, Montana State took its first lead of the match before going up 8-6. The Vikings scored four-straight points to retake the lead and go up 10-8. Montana State tied it at 10-10 before trading points to 11-11.
 
Montana State was forced to call a timeout after Portland State went on a 5-0 run to go up 16-11. The Bobcats came out of the timeout on a 5-1 run to pull within one at 17-16. MSU came back and tied the set at 18-18 on a kill from Katie Rutecki.
 
The teams traded points to 23-23 before the Bobcats got their first set point of the day after a kill put them up 24-23. Wilson came right back with an attack from the middle to tie it at 24-24. Another MSU kills gave the Bobcats the 25-24 lead. McDougald tied the set at 25-25 before a big block from Sych and Clark gave the Vikings their first set point of the second.
 
The Vikings went right back to McDougald who hit it high off the block for her ninth kill of the match to give the Vikings the 26-24 win in the second.
 
The third set picked up right where the second left off. The score bounced back and forth with neither team scoring more than two points in a row before the Bobcats rattled off three-straight to take a 9-7 lead.
 
Down by one at 11-10, the Vikings rattled off four straight to take a 14-11 lead, which forced the Bobcats to use a timeout. They scored four of the next five points to tie the set at 15-15.
 
After trading points to 16-16, three-straight unforced attacking errors by the Bobcats gave the Vikings a 19-16 lead. After a Montana State timeout, another MSU attacking error made it 20-16. Rutecki ended the Vikings run with a kill but it did not slow them down. They rattled off four-straight points to go up 24-17.
 
After the Bobcats staved off one set point, Webb's ninth kill of the match gave the Vikings the 25-18 win in the third to complete their sixth consecutive sweep.
 
The Vikings have a quick turnaround as they return home to take on the Sacramento State Hornets Saturday, Sept. 30 on the campus of Concordia University in North Portland. It will be a battle between the only two 3-0 Big Sky South Division teams. Sacramento State defeated Montana in straight sets at home Thursday night.  
 
NOTES:

• SR S Erin Clark recorded her team-high sixth double-double with 38 assists and 12 digs.
• SR DS/L Tasha Bojanic recorded a team season-high 22 digs.
• SO OH Toni McDougald matched her season high with 11 kills and hit a career-high .500 (11-0-22).
• Portland State is 12-3 for the second time in its Division I history (2008).
• Portland State has won its last 22 matches against Montana State.
• Portland State is 12-0 when it wins the first set.
• Portland State is 11-0 when winning the first two sets.
• Portland State is 12-0 when it outhits an opponent.
• Portland State is 4-1 on the road this season.
• Portland State is 8-3 in three-set matches.
• Portland State is 10-2 in the month of September.