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PORTLAND, Ore. — It was déjà vu all over again for the Portland State volleyball team. Except that it wasn't.
 
The Vikings got swept by a Pac-12 team for the second straight match Friday, losing 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-21) to Oregon State, after falling by the same score to Oregon on Tuesday. The Vikings showed much improved defense against the Beavers, however, and improved their serve receive as well to the point that the two matches could not have been more different.
 
Oregon hit .431 against the Vikings Tuesday, while the Vikings (1-4) held the Beavers (4-1) to just .212 hitting for the match Friday. Additionally, the Vikings improved their block total from two against Oregon to five against the Beavers, and only allowed five service aces for the Beavers after the Ducks finished with 13 Tuesday.
 
The Beavers had little trouble with the Viking defense initially in the match, as they hit .353 in the first set with 12 kills on 34 attacks against only one error. Not surprisingly, then, the first set was the least competitive of the match, with the Beavers winning, 25-14.
 
The Vikings found themselves in the second set, as they stayed level with the Beavers throughout. The Vikings tied it at 15-15 with a great display of defense from freshman libero Mackenzie Sullivan, who picked a ball off the floor following an OSU block, allowing Whitney Turner to set senior Jenna Mullen for a kill. Mullen followed with another kill – one of a match-high 13 kills for the Viking senior in the match – and sophomore Parker Webb added another to spark an OSU timeout as the Vikings took a 17-15 lead. OSU's Haylie Bennett recorded a kill for the Beavers out of the timeout, but Mullen responded with her sixth kill of the second set to make it 18-16 PSU.
 
After hitting .353 in the first set, the Vikings had the Beavers at .000 at that point in the second set with four kills against four errors. The Beavers found their groove on the attack from there, however, winning four straight points to take a 20-18 lead that they'd eventually stretch into a 25-22 second-set win. The Beavers finished with nine kills against four errors to hit .161 in the set after they were at .000 until late.
 
The Beavers got out to an early 13-8 lead in the third set, but a kill from freshman Peyton McBride followed by a combo block by Webb and senior Katy Wilson cut the Beavers lead to two at 13-11. The block assist for Wilson was one of four for the senior in the match, tying her best total of the season so far.
 
The Beavers responded with a 6-1 run that made it 19-12. The Viking got back within three at 22-19, but a kill from Bennett and a PSU attack error gave the Beavers match point at 24-19. Bennett would eventually seal the match for the Beavers with a kill that gave OSU the third set, 25-21.
 
Mullen finished with 13 kills and seven digs in the match for the Vikings, while Webb followed with nine kills. Sullivan totaled a season-high 18 digs in the match, and sophomore setter Maddy Reeb added 28 assists.
 
The Vikings remain a victim of their own difficult schedule, as the Beavers marked the third team out of four to beat the Vikings that made the 2017 postseason. The Beavers and Ducks were each NCAA tournament teams last season, while the Vikings also lost to Boise State, which made the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 2017.
 
The Vikings next face UC Davis, which did not make the postseason in 2017 but gave Oregon State a tough match before losing 3-1 earlier in the day Friday. The Vikings and Aggies face off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday to close out the Rose City Showdown.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Beavers, 32-11, despite Friday's loss…The Beavers have won seven straight against the Vikings, as well as 11 of the last 13…The Vikings are now 0-2 against the Pac-12 Conference this season with matches against California and Colorado still to come…McBride and Haley Glass each made their first starts of the season for the Vikings in the match.