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PORTLAND, Ore. — Down 20-11 in the third set, the Portland State volleyball team won 13 of the next 16 points to nearly pull off a miracle comeback and take a 2-1 advantage on Boise State Saturday afternoon at the Viking Pavilion. The Broncos saved the set point, however, and then converted on their second set point and rolled from there, beating Portland State 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 27-25, 25-12).
 
The Broncos held the Vikings to just .151 hitting in the match, nearly a hundred points lower than the Vikings' average in their win over Long Beach State last night. The Broncos' Sabryn Roberts took over as the match wore on, as she finished with a match-high 20 kills, 12 of which came in the third and fourth sets. Roberts was also one of four Broncos with at least three service aces in the match, as the Broncos totaled 15 aces as a team.
 
The Vikings (1-1) found themselves battling back from the start of the match, as the Broncos (2-0) ran out to a 9-2 lead in the first set of the match. The Broncos led 12-4 when the Vikings started a 10-2 run that leveled the set at 14-all. The teams stayed level for a while after that until a late, 4-0 run from Boise State gave the Broncos their first set point at 24-19, and they'd close it out a point later.
 
Neither team led by more than two points at the start of the second set, until a 6-1 Portland State run gave the Vikings a 15-12 lead. The Vikings stretched that to a 20-15 lead but Boise State scored five of the next six points to narrow the Vikings' lead to one at 21-20. Sophomore outside hitter Parker Webb ended the Broncos' run with a kill, and then gave the Vikings set point with back-to-back service aces. Senior middle blocker Katy Wilson and sophomore setter Maddy Reeb closed out the second set for the Vikings with a combo block on the Broncos' Carly Moreno on the next point.
 
Wilson accounted for five of the Vikings' six blocks in the match, as she finished with one solo block and four block assists.
 
The Vikings took an early 8-6 lead in the third set, but the Broncos scored six straight points from there to run out to a 12-8 advantage. A kill from redshirt junior middle blocker Whitney Turner snapped the streak, but the Broncos stretched the lead to 20-11 with another 6-0 run a few points later.
 
It was 21-12 before the Vikings won 12 of the next 14 points to grab a set point at 24-23. Senior outside hitter Jenna Mullen had four kills in the Vikings' run, and accounted for seven of the Vikings' 12 kills in the third set alone.
 
Mullen was a bright spot for the Vikings throughout the match, as she recorded her first double-double since the Vikings' season-opening match against CSUN exactly one year ago. Mullen finished with 15 kills and a career-high 12 digs in the match. The 15 kills represented Mullen's best kill total since she had 15 in back-to-back matches against Portland and Depaul on Sept. 2 and 3, 2016.
 
The Broncos' Morgan Hughes ended the Vikings' run with a kill to make it 24-24, and then a service ace gave the advantage back to the Broncos at 25-24. Mullen responded with her seventh kill of the third set on the next point, but the Broncos followed with a block and then a kill from Kiley Lewis to seal the set, 27-25.
 
The Broncos kept the momentum throughout the fourth set, as they ran out to a 12-2 lead and didn't let the Vikings closer than nine points the rest of the way.
 
Webb finished second on the team behind Mullen with 11 kills in the match, and added seven digs. Reeb, meanwhile, had a career-high 34 assists in the match to go with two kills, four digs and three block assists.
 
The Vikings will have a chance to bounce back tonight, as they close out the Viking Summer Spike tournament with a rematch against Long Beach State at 7 p.m.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 16-9 all-time against Boise State with the loss…The Broncos have won five straight against the Vikings, and have won seven of the last 11 since the series resumed in 2008…Wilson moved into eighth place all-time in Division I solo blocks at Portland State with the 40th of her career in the match.