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PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State volleyball team ran out to a set lead against Southern Utah Saturday, but the Thunderbirds answered the call, taking the next three sets to beat the Vikings 3-1 at the Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings (1-15, 0-4 Big Sky) actually outhit the Thunderbirds (2-14, 1-3 Big Sky) .181-to-.165 in the match but lost. It was the first time the Vikings had outhit an opponent and lost since a 3-2 loss to Montana on Oct. 24, 2014.
 
The Vikings can still take positives from the match, including the fact that the Thunderbirds' .165 hitting percentage marked the first time the Vikings had held an opponent to under .200 hitting since their season-opening win over Long Beach State on Aug. 24. That was also the last time the Vikings outhit an opponent, and the Vikings committed only 19 attack errors, a season low for the Vikings in a four-set match.
 
Additionally, senior Katy Wilson returned to form in the match for the Vikings, after a tough, three-match streak in which she hit .077 or less as she tried to fill a gap on the outside with other players injured for the Vikings. Wilson was able to focus more on her natural position as a middle blocker Saturday, and found her groove again with a team-high 13 kills on 22 attacks and no errors. Wilson's 13 kills tied a career high for the Vikings senior, while her .591 hitting percentage was a season high.
 
Wilson led the Vikings with four kills in the first set, as the Vikings beat the Thunderbirds 25-18 in the opening frame of the match. The Thunderbirds led 7-3 early, but the Vikings scored 10 of the next 12 points to flip the set on its head and take a 13-9 lead. Wilson had three of her four kills in the set by that point, with her third kill giving the Vikings the 13-9 lead.
 
Southern Utah got within one again as late as 17-16 in the set, but the Vikings took over from there. The Viking defense forced the Thunderbirds into four straight attack errors that gave the Vikings a 21-16 lead, including a combo block from Timi Severson and Maddy Reeb that made it 19-16 PSU. Severson got a kill a few points later at 22-18, while Wilson recorded her fourth kill on the next point when a desperation dig from Mary Jo McBride led to Wilson sending over a ball that the Thunderbirds weren't ready for and gently fell to the floor.
 
Hadley Heck followed Wilson's fortunate kill with a service ace, while freshman Peyton McBride followed with a back-row kill that tucked just inside the back line to end the set at 25-18.
 
The Vikings led over the first half of the second set, but the Thunderbirds came back and took only their second lead of the set at 16-15. The Thunderbirds separated themselves further with a 4-0 run that made it 21-16. The Vikings tied it up again at 22-22 on a solo block from Toni McDougald, and saved a set point a little later on a McDougald tip that made it 24-24. The Thunderbirds followed with back-to-back kills from Janet Kalaniuvalu, however, that sealed the set for SUU at 26-24.
 
 The Thunderbirds played their best set of the match in the third, as they hit .270 in the frame and did not relinquish the lead at any point while beating the Vikings 25-22.
 
Neither team led by more than two points at the start of the fourth set until a 5-1 SUU run made it 17-13 Thunderbirds. SUU appeared in control of the match at that point, but Wilson snapped the SUU run and started a run of the Vikings' own with a kill from the middle of the net. Wilson combined with McDougald to block Southern Utah's Emma Mangum two points later, and the two followed with back-to-back kills to give the Vikings a 5-0 run and an 18-17 lead over the Thunderbirds.
 
Southern Utah's Mckenzie Dowell responded with a kill, but Mary Jo McBride and McDougald followed with kills of their own to make it 20-18 PSU, while an SUU attack error on the next point made it an 8-1 run for PSU. Now it appeared as if the match was heading to a fifth set, a few points after the Thunderbirds appeared in control when they led 17-13.
 
The Thunderbirds stopped the Vikings' momentum with a 4-0 run of their own however, as Kalaniuvalu provided two of the four points on a pair of kills that made it 22-21 SUU. The Vikings took the lead back with back-to-back kills from Whitney Turner and Reeb, but the Thunderbirds won the final three points – two more coming on kills from Kalaniuvalu – to close out the match with a 25-23 win in the fourth.
 
Kalaniuvalu led all players with 22 kills in the match, and recorded a double-double with 18 digs.
 
Reeb recorded her second double-double of the season with 18 assists and 11 digs in the match, and also added four kills and four total blocks. Both of the Vikings' McBrides were a single stat away from their own double-doubles, as Mary Jo was a dig away a double-double with 19 assists and nine digs against the Thunderbirds, while Peyton was a kill away with nine kills and a career-high 19 digs.
 
McDougald added 11 kills and seven digs for the Vikings, while senior Hadley Heck led all players with 22 digs in the match.
 
The Vikings hit the road for their next two matches, as they play Eastern Washington and Idaho next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Vikings open the weekend Thursday against the Eagles at 6 p.m. (PT) in Cheney, Wash.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fall to 10-3 all time against the Southern Utah following Saturday's loss…Heck and Peyton McBride were a dig for McBride away from becoming the first Viking teammates to record 20 or more digs in the same match since Kasi Clark and Cheyne Corrado had 21 and 20 digs, respectively, against Northern Arizona on Nov. 15, 2014.