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PORTLAND, Ore. — What a difference a month can make.
 
Few matches could illustrate that better than the Portland State volleyball team's Thursday night match against Montana. Twenty-six days after the Grizzlies swept a nine-player Viking team in Missoula on Sept. 22, the Vikings swept the Grizzlies, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20, at the Viking Pavilion on Block Out Cancer Night, presented by the American Cancer Society.
 
The Vikings (3-18, 2-7 Big Sky) had appeared to turn a corner last weekend, when they took Weber State and Idaho State – two of the better teams in the Big Sky – to five sets. The Vikings had to settle for a pair of encouraging but still frustrating losses in both of those matches, but turned that promise into something tangible with the win over the Grizzlies Thursday.
 
Thursday's stats reflected the Vikings' improvements against the Grizzlies, as the team hit a seasonal-best .279 in the match while holding the Grizzlies to under .200 hitting – only the fourth time the Vikings have held an opponent to under .200 hitting this season – at .198. That's a far cry from the Vikings' earlier match against the Grizzlies, when the Grizzlies outhit the Vikings .294-to-.170 a month ago in Missoula.
 
The Vikings also set seasonal bests in a three-set match for kills (43), assists (39) and blocks (11.0) Thursday. The Vikings out-blocked the Grizzlies 11-0 in the match, the only time the Vikings have held an opponent without a block this season.
 
The Vikings seemed to flip a switch in the first set of the match, as they turned an 18-11 deficit into a 19-19 tie with an 8-1 run midway through the set. Freshman libero Mackenzie Sullivan had two service aces during the run, while the only point the Grizzlies earned in the stretch came on a service error.
 
The Grizzlies retook the lead twice after that at 20-19 and 21-20, but the Vikings scored the next three points to take their first lead of the set. Junior outside hitter Toni McDougald recorded a kill to give the Vikings their first lead at 22-21, while senior middle blocker Katy Wilson and sophomore setter Maddy Reeb combined for a block on the next point.
 
Cassie Laramee recorded back-to-back kills for the Grizzlies to level the set at 23-23, but McDougald responded with a kill to give Vikings set point at 24-23, and Reeb finished it with a dump over the net on the next point.
 
The Vikings trailed early once again in the second set, but took control earlier on this time and didn't look back. The Vikings used a 5-1 run to turn a 9-7 deficit into a 12-10 lead, and never relinquished the lead from that point on. The Grizzlies never got closer than two points back of the Vikings after a Montana service error gave the Vikings a 14-12 lead.
 
Freshman outside hitter Peyton McBride, who missed the Vikings' previous match against the Grizzlies with an illness, recorded three kills over the latter half of the second set as the Vikings ran away it.
 
McBride and senior Jenna Mullen, who also missed the Vikings' last match against the Grizzlies, led the Vikings to the finish line in the third set as they tied for the team lead with four kills each in the frame.
 
The Vikings trailed early once again in the third, as they were behind 12-9 before a 6-2 run gave them their first lead of the set at 15-14. The Grizzlies retook the lead at 19-18, but the Vikings scored seven of the last eight points in the match to close it out. McBride had two kills for the Vikings in that run, the second of which started a final 5-0 run for the Vikings in the match. Reeb and Wilson gave the Vikings match point at 24-20 with a combo block, while Wilson ended the match with her ninth kill of the night.
 
The Vikings spread the wealth statistically Thursday, as four players recorded seven or more kills with McBride and McDougald tied for the team lead at 10 each. Four Vikings also finished with seven or more digs with Sullivan leading the way at 11, and four Vikings finished with three or more blocks with Reeb and Wilson tied for the lead with six each.
 
McBride finished with a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs against the Grizzlies, giving the freshman her second double-double in the past three matches. McBride missed a double-double against Idaho State last Saturday by only one kill, otherwise she would have recorded her third straight double-double Thursday.
 
Reeb has been a double-double machine with four already in Big Sky play, and stuffed the stat sheet once again Thursday. Reeb didn't record a double-double Thursday, but led the Vikings with 34 assists to go with seven digs, six blocks (one solo, five assists), three kills and a service ace.
 
The Vikings face another opponent they lost to earlier in the season Saturday, as they host Montana State at 2 p.m. (PT) at the Viking Pavilion. The Vikings will seek revenge for a 3-2 loss to the Bobcats in Bozeman, Mont., on Sept. 20. The Bobcats lost 3-0 to Sacramento State in other Big Sky action Thursday.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improved to 51-17 all time against the Grizzlies with Thursday's win…The Vikings also improved to 27-15 all time in the Big Sky series between them and the Grizzlies…Wilson upped her career hitting percentage to .303 while hitting .444 (9-1-18) against the Grizzlies, putting her above the current Division I career record of .302 that Lana Zielke set from 2008-10…The Vikings surpassed their fundraising goal of $500 at Block Out Cancer Night, with the Vikings donating a certain amount of money for every block the Vikings recorded in the match (11).