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PORTLAND, Ore. — Winners of two straight Thursday matches, the Portland State volleyball team made it appear as if its Thursday-night magic would continue with an upset of league-leading Idaho at the Viking Pavilion, but the Vandals came back to beat the Vikings in four sets, sealing the match with a narrow, 28-26 win in the fourth.
 
The Vikings (4-21, 3-10 Big Sky) played one of their best sets of the season while winning the first set, 25-23, and then fought off a match point in the fourth set before claiming two set points of their own. The Vandals (17-8, 11-2 Big Sky) saved both set points, however, and then converted on their second match point to extend their win streak to nine matches, all of which have come in either three or four sets.
 
Both teams hit .333 or better in the first set, but the Vikings came out on top after recording 17 kills against only three attack errors as a team. Freshman Peyton McBride and seniors Katy Wilson and Jenna Mullen accounted for 14 of the team's 17 kills in the set, with McBride providing the lion share with six kills on 12 attacks and no attack errors.
 
Five of McBride's six kills came in the Vikings' first 12 points of the set, as the Vikings built an early, 12-7 lead on the Vandals. The Vandals came back with four straight points out of a timeout to get back within one at 12-11, but the Vikings responded with their own 4-0 run – the last point coming on a service ace by McBride – to retake a five-point lead at 16-11.
 
The teams traded runs from there until a kill from Wilson gave the Vikings set point at 24-21. Idaho made it interesting with two straight kills to get back within one at 24-23, but a service error ended the set, giving the Vikings the early lead in the match.
 
Idaho took control back with dominant showings in the second and third sets, but the Vikings came out hot at the start of the fourth set as they looked to extend the match to a fifth set. The Vikings took an 8-3 lead early in the fourth set on a kill from junior Toni McDougald, prompting a timeout from the Vandals. Wilson accounted for five of the Vikings' first eight points in the fourth set between four kills and a service ace. 
 
Mullen had a strong individual run later in the set, as she accounted for four straight points for the Vikings between three kills and a solo block, the last of which gave the Vikings a 14-10 lead. Idaho responded with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 14-all, and then maintained a two- to three-point lead before going up 23-20 late in the set.
 
The Vikings mounted a late rally with three straight points to tie it at 23-all, and then erased a match point on the next point to tie it again at 24-all. A McBride service ace gave the Vikings a set point at 25-24, while a kill from Wilson gave the Vikings a second set point at 26-25. Two straight kills from Idaho's Sarah Sharp and Nikki Ball swung the momentum back to the Vandals, however, and a PSU attack error ended the match with the Vandals winning the fourth set, 28-26. 
 
Wilson led the Vikings with 16 kills in the match, one off her career high of 17 that she set earlier this season. Wilson also hit .467 with just two attack errors Thursday, the sixth time in the Vikings' past 10 matches that Wilson has hit over .400.
 
McBride recorded her third double-double in the Vikings' past seven matches with 14 kills and 14 digs. McBride has now recorded 10 or more digs in 11 of the Vikings' 13 Big Sky matches, including six of the Vikings' last seven.
 
Sophomore setter Maddy Reeb also had a double-double Thursday – her fifth in Big Sky play – with 43 assists and 12 digs. Reeb has recorded at least 30 assists in six of the Vikings' last seven matches, and has gone over 40 assists in three of those matches.
 
Mullen was also a kill and a dig away from her sixth double-double of the season, as she had nine kills and nine digs against the Vandals.
 
Freshman Mackenzie Sullivan posted a team-high 21 digs in the match, her first time recording more than 20 digs in a four-set match.
 
The Vikings host last-place Eastern Washington Saturday at 2 p.m., after the Eagles lost in three sets at Sacramento State Thursday night.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 16-6 all time against Idaho with Thursday's loss…The Vandals drew level with the Vikings at 3-3 in the Big Sky series with their win Thursday…The Vikings were down to just nine players in the match.