BOX SCORE (PDF)

PORTLAND, Ore. — Five weeks and two days after the Portland State volleyball team opened Big Sky play against Idaho on the road, the Vikings had the upper hand in some areas of their rematch Saturday but the Vandals still won, 3-1 (25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-22), at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings (9-14, 5-7 Big Sky) out-killed the Vandals 53-to-51 in the match, but the Vandals (12-12, 8-4 Big Sky) were the more efficient team as they outhit the Vikings .242-to-.173. The Vikings' 53 kills were only one off their season high in a four-set match, which the Vikings set last Thursday with 54 kills against Montana State. Saturday's kill production was also a market improvement over the Vikings' first match against the Vandals, when they totaled 37 kills in a three-set sweep on Sept. 26.
 
"It was a loss tonight but looking at the big picture, I think it was also a win for us," head coach Michael Seemann said afterwards. "I thought we competed much better against them than the last time we saw them. Even in recent times, when teams were putting it on us, we kind of just folded. Tonight, I feel like we stayed in every set except for the first one. I think that's a sign of maturity.
 
"I was also proud of the way we kept our composure when [the Vandals] were scrapping and digging because they're a good defensive team. When they were giving us free balls, we just held our composure and usually ended up on the good side of those long rallies. It's disappointing, obviously, to lose like this, but again, I think it's kind of a step forward."
 
The Vikings will also feel positive about the contributions they got from some players Saturday night. Freshman Jasmine Powell, who had been a double-double machine at the beginning of the year, broke out of a mini-skid with her first double-double since the Vikings' match against Southern Utah on Oct. 5. Powell finished with 13 kills and 20 digs against the Vandals Saturday, with her 20 digs marking the third time this season she's recorded 20 or more in a match.
 
"[Jasmine]'s feeling much more confident. It's more often now that she's more solid than not. It was nice to see her have a match like this," Seemann said of Powell.
 
Junior Maddy Reeb also recorded a career-high 15 kills for the Vikings, more than doubling her previous career high of seven, which she had tied three times earlier in the season. Reeb also came close to her first double-double since moving to an outside hitter role for the Vikings, as she finished with eight digs. Reeb had five double-doubles while playing at setter for the Vikings last season, but hadn't come close to a double-double as an outside hitter until Saturday.
 
Redshirt sophomore Parker Webb, freshman Caroline Dragani and freshman Ellie Snook, meanwhile, all remained in good form at their respective positions.
 
Webb finished with 17 kills on .283 hitting to go with 10 digs, giving Webb her sixth double-double since Big Sky play began.
 
Dragani recorded her third double-double in the Vikings' past four matches with 39 assists and 12 digs. Additionally, Dragani was only a dig away from a double-double in the other match in that stretch, giving her an average of 9.25 assists and 3.0 digs per set over the past two weeks.
 
Snook, meanwhile, tied Idaho's Delaney Hopen for a match high with 24 digs, 11 of which came in the Vikings' 25-17 win in the second set. Snook has recorded 24 or more digs in three of the Vikings' past four matches, and had 19 digs in the other match in that span. Snook came into Saturday's match leading the Big Sky with 6.17 digs per set in conference play, and remains the top-ranked freshman in the nation with an average of 5.44 digs per set in all matches.
 
The Vikings appeared deserving of more than just encouraging performances Saturday, however, when they took the second set from the Vandals 25-17. The Viking offense had played well in the first set, but the Vandals recorded 12 kills on .344 hitting and never let the Vikings get more than a couple points in a row.
 
That changed in the second set, as the Viking defense was finally able to rattle the Vandals' attack. Snook's 11 digs helped lead a Viking back row that held the Vandals to only 11 kills on 38 swings in the set. The Vikings also recorded four aces in the second set, three of which came as freshman Sophia Tuliau aced the Vandals three straight times to stretch the Vikings' lead to 14-5.
 
Webb also led a strong Viking offense in the second set, as she accounted for five of the Vikings' 14 kills in the set without committing an attack error. Reeb and Powell each had three kills in the second set, two of which came back-to-back on the final two points of the set.
 
The Vikings remained in both the third and fourth sets, but Idaho forced the Vikings to try and come back in each frame. The Vandals led 17-13 in the third set when the Vikings scored three straight points off kills from Reeb, Powell and Webb, respectively, to get back within one at 17-16. The Vandals responded with a 6-1 run out of a timeout, however, and closed out the set a few points later.
 
Neither team led by more than two points in the fourth set until the Vandals pushed ahead with a 4-0 run that made it 16-12. The Vikings again got back within one at 17-16, but then couldn't string more than two points together until the Vandals led 23-19. The Vikings won two straight points to get back within two at 23-21, but the Vandals eventually closed out the match, winning the fourth set, 25-22.
 
Freshman middle blockers Julia Haynie and Riley Daniel finished with three kills each for the Vikings, while Haynie led the Vikings with three blocks between two solo and one assist.
 
The Vikings hit the road next weekend, as they head to Southern Utah and Northern Arizona next Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Thursday's match against the Thunderbirds will carry extra significance, as both teams rank tied for seventh at 5-7 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 16-8 all-time against Idaho after Saturday's loss…The Vandals lead 5-3 in the Big Sky series between them and the Vikings…Snook's average of 5.44 digs per set would set a new single-season school record if the season ended today, bettering the old record of 5.38, which Kasimira Clark set in 2012.