PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State volleyball team played a match worthy of a 14-month buildup Sunday, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to beat conference-rival Idaho in five sets (25-21, 24-26, 21-25, 25-22, 15-8) at Viking Pavilion. It was the Vikings' first match since Nov. 21, 2019, and their first win over the Vandals since Oct. 21, 2017.
 
If not for a few errors that cost the Vikings the second and third sets, no one would have been able to tell it had been 14 months since the Vikings had last played a match. The Vikings (1-0) out-killed (73-to-49), out-hit (.204-to-.135) and out-dug (82-to-62) the Vandals (0-1), winning just about every phase of the match statistically.
 
The win proved the depth of this Vikings team, which played without five players due to an abundance of caution around contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those absences left the Vikings with only three outside hitters – Gabby Hollins, Zoe McBride and Jasmine Powell – all of whom had never played with starting setter Maddy Reeb.
 
Hollins proved herself more than ready for the collegiate stage, recording the best debut of any Viking freshman since first-year records date back through the 2010 season. Hollins finished with a match-high 23 kills, setting two different freshman records in the process – one for the most kills in a match, and one for the most kills in a Viking debut. Hollins added 10 digs to her 23 kills, giving her the first double-double of her collegiate career in her first collegiate match.
 
Reeb, who was starting her first match at setter since the 2018 season, also showed her worthiness of her Ms. Versatility title within the Viking team. Reeb became the first Viking since Garyn Schlatter on Oct. 15, 2010 to record a triple-double with 10 kills, 50 assists and 15 digs against the Vandals. Reeb joins Schlatter and Nique Fradella as the only three Vikings to record triple-doubles since head coach Michael Seemann's first year at the helm in 2007.
 
Those two played their best late in the match, as the Vikings raised their level to come from behind and beat the Vandals. The third set was the Vikings' only truly poor set of the match, as the Vikings recorded 13 attack errors as well as two service errors to fall behind 2-1 to the Vandals. The Vikings immediately found their groove again in the fourth set, however, as Reeb got the Viking offense back in rhythm. The Vikings hit .306 (15-4-36) in the third set, their best percentage of any set in the match.
 
A 7-2 start to the fourth set got the Vikings back on the right side of the scoreboard, and the Vikings still led by five at 15-10 a few moments later. The Vandals raised their level from there, narrowing the Viking lead to one at 16-15, and eventually tying the set at 20-20. That's when Hollins came up with her two biggest kills of the match, recording back-to-back points to give the Vikings the lead again at 22-20. Hollins then sealed the set a few points later when she and redshirt junior Jordan White – playing in her first match since a shoulder injury halted her 2019 season – blocked a Vandal attack at the net.
 
Neither team took more than a one-point lead in the fifth set until the Vandals went up 6-4 following a block and a PSU attack error. The Vikings responded with six straight points, the last two of which came from Reeb as she put the finishing touches on her triple-double.
 
Sophomore libero Ellie Snook – coming off her record-breaking freshman season – rose her level in the fifth set as the Viking defense also played its best set of the match. Snook recorded 10 of her match-high 27 digs in the fifth set, while the Viking defense held Idaho to only two kills and a negative-.042 hitting percentage.
 
The Vikings closed out the match by winning the last four points between two more kills for Hollins and two Idaho attack errors.
 
Besides Hollins, Powell recorded 19 kills, seven digs and three blocks Sunday. Powell went the first two sets without an attack error, recording nine kills on 17 attacks for a .529 hitting percentage in the opening two frames. McBride also finished a kill away from a double-double with nine kills to go with 19 digs in her first match as a Viking after transferring from Morgan State. McBride also recorded a career-high five assists in the match.
 
Snook added a career-high 11 assists to go with her 27 digs, giving her the first double-double of her Viking career.
 
The Vikings' 73 kills marked their most in a match since they had 75 against Colorado on Aug. 27, 2016. For comparison's sake, the Vikings averaged just over 11 kills per set in each of the past two seasons, but their 73 kills in five sets Sunday equate to an average of 14.6 kills per set.
 
White helped spur the Vikings' block when she came on for the first time in the match at the start of the third set. The Vikings recorded six blocks over the last three sets of the match – compared to only three in the first two sets – with White recording four (1 solo, 3 assists). Reeb and Sophia Tuliau also recorded three block assists Sunday.
 
The Vikings and Vandals face each other again Monday, with first serve set for 1 p.m.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improved to 17-8 all time against the Vandals after Sunday's win…Sunday's and Monday's matches against the Vandals will be non-conference matches, meaning they will not count towards their Big Sky record…Reeb's 15 digs marked a career high for the senior.