PORTLAND, Ore. — Volleyball can be cruel at times. It doesn't matter how well you play in one set, you've got to go and win the next one. The Portland State volleyball team fell into that trap Saturday, as the Vikings dominated the second and fourth sets, but narrowly lost the other three while falling in five sets (25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 13-25, 15-12) to Northern Arizona at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings' dominance in the even-numbered sets meant they outhit (.210-to-.208), out-killed (57-to-45) and out-dug (83-to-73) the Lumberjacks despite losing. The Vikings (1-2, 0-1 Big Sky) held the Lumberjacks (2-1, 2-1 Big Sky) to well below their average for hitting percentage, as they came into Saturday leading the Big Sky at .286 after the first weekend of play. The Lumberjacks also averaged only 9.0 kills per set Saturday despite coming into the match ranked second in the Big Sky – behind the Vikings – with an average of 12.86.
 
The Vikings, meanwhile, picked up their offense throughout the match until it abandoned them at the most inopportune time in the fifth set. The Vikings increased their kill total through the first four sets, culminating in the fourth being the team's best set of the season to date. The Vikings hit .406 (15-2-32) in the fourth set, with six different Vikings recording a kill.
 
The strangest part of Saturday's match came in the serving for both teams. The Lumberjacks recorded 13 aces against the Vikings, but gave away 18 points on service errors. The Vikings, meanwhile, recorded 11 aces of their own, but gave NAU 12 free points on service errors.
 
Serving became the story late in the fifth set, as a PSU service error followed immediately by an NAU ace turned a 12-12 tie into a 14-12 NAU lead. The Vikings had just come back to tie the set at 12-12, erasing a two-point NAU lead with back-to-back points. Neither team established much of an advantage in the fifth set as the largest margin was the final one, 15-12.
 
Despite the loss, the Vikings can be thankful to have found somewhat of a rhythm offensively after only having a handful of 6-on-6 practices under their belts before this week. The Vikings were out of sync in the first set, hitting .129 with 10 kills against six errors, but dropped their errors to two in the second set while hitting .238 (12-2-42).
 
The Vikings appeared to flip a switch at the 12-11 mark of the second set, as they outscored the Lumberjacks 13-6 over the latter half of the set. A 6-0 run on Parker Webb's serve turned a 12-11 lead into an 18-11 advantage in the middle of the frame. Webb recorded two aces during the run, while sophomore middle blocker Julia Haynie added two kills.
 
The Vikings upped their kill total to 14 in the third set despite dropping it, 25-20, and then increased it again with 15 kills in the fourth.
 
Four different Vikings finished with at least nine kills, as setter Ally Wada distributed the ball well throughout the match. Freshman Gabby Hollins led the Vikings offensively for the third straight match to open the season. Hollins finished with 18 kills to go with a career-high 17 digs, giving the freshman her third straight double-double to open her Viking career.
 
Sophomore Jasmine Powell added her second straight double-double with 13 kills to go with 19 digs, while Webb and Haynie followed with 11 and nine kills, respectively. Haynie has now surpassed her best kill total as a freshman (6) in back-to-back matches after she set a new career high with 11 kills against Idaho last Monday.
 
Wada, meanwhile, recorded her second straight double-double in two appearances for the Vikings, as she finished with 40 assists and 14 digs.
 
Sophomore libero Ellie Snook, the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week, posted her third straight 20-dig performance, finishing with 22. Snook was facing off with the reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week in NAU's Taylor Jacobsen on the other side of the net. Both players played well for their respective sides, as Jacobsen countered Snook's 22 digs with 13 kills and 13 digs for the Lumberjacks.
 
The Vikings and Lumberjacks face each other again Sunday in the second match of their two-match weekend series. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. again.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 21-30 all time against NAU after Saturday's loss…The Vikings have played three straight five-set matches to open their 2021 spring season…The Vikings' 11 service aces tied their season high from last season, and marked their most since they had 12 aces against DePaul on Sept. 3, 2016…Six different Vikings recorded at least one service ace, with Webb and Sophia Tuliau tying for the most with three each.