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GREELEY, Colo. — The 2018 Portland State volleyball season came to a close on the road Thursday, as the Vikings lost 3-1 to Northern Colorado at the Bank of Colorado Arena.
 
The Vikings (5-25, 4-14 Big Sky) found their way back into the match against the Bears (14-12, 10-7 Big Sky), after a tough first set that saw the Bears run away from the Vikings, 25-16.
 
The Vikings took an early lead in the second set, as they led 11-5 after an 8-0 run that featured three Portland State blocks. The Bears got back within three a couple of times after that, but the Vikings stretched the lead to seven at 21-14 off a kill from senior Katy Wilson followed by three straight UNC attack errors. Junior Toni McDougald blocked UNC's Lauren Hinrichs for the third attack error in that run, her second solo block of the set.
 
The Vikings recorded five blocks in the second set, after only having two blocks in the first set. The Vikings forced the Bears into 13 attack errors in the set, and held them to a -.048 hitting percentage after the Bears hit .536 in the first set.
 
McDougald got the Vikings to set point at 24-17 with her thid kill of the set, while another UNC attack error gave the Vikings the set at 25-17.
 
The Vikings took an early lead again at the start of the third set, as they scored four straight points to go up 7-4 between two kills by Wilson, a kill from freshman Peyton McBride and a service ace from senior Jenna Mullen. The Vikings stretched it to an 11-6 lead with another kill from McDougald, but the Bears found their form again to go on a 9-2 run after that. That gave the Bears the lead back at 15-13, and they maintained the lead from there, eventually winning the third set, 25-21.
 
The Bears led throughout the fourth set, and closed out the set and the match, 25-18.
 
Wilson led the Vikings with 12 kills in the match while adding three block assists. Wilson's performance against the Bears guaranteed her the Portland State Division I career record for hitting percentage, as she leaves the Vikings with a .308 career mark – six points better than the old record of .302.
 
McBride, meanwhile, recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Mullen was a kill away from a double-double with nine kills and 10 digs.
 
Freshman libero Mackenzie Sullivan also set career highs for digs (27) and assists (7) in the match, while sophomore setter Maddy Reeb recorded 33 assists, six digs, four kills and a team-high four block assists.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 20-14 all time against the Bears with Thursday's loss…McDougald had two solo blocks in the match, tying a career high…Thursday's match was the first between Portland State head coach Michael Seemann and Northern Colorado's Lyndsey Oates after Seemann joined Oates in the 200-win club at the beginning of the season.