PORTLAND, Ore. — Last Thursday, offense led the way for the Vikings as they hit .398 in a sweep of Idaho. This Thursday, defense stood tall as the Vikings held Southern Utah to .053 hitting in another sweep.
 
Very different matches. Same score line. That's the sign of a talented team, which the Vikings have proved themselves to be, having won four in a row and nine of their last 11 matches.
 
Southern Utah (5-12, 1-4 Big Sky) couldn't challenge the streaking Vikings (10-6, 4-1 Big Sky) Thursday at Viking Pavilion, as the Vikings recorded their third straight sweep. The Vikings have now won 12 sets in a row, as they also won three straight against Idaho State on Sept. 25 after dropping the opening set.
 
"We are handling the ball very well right now, which is putting real pressure on our opponents' block," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said in explaining the Vikings' recent hot streak.
 
The Vikings hadn't won a match yet this season in which they failed to hit over .200, but that ended Thursday as the Vikings hit only .172 but still won comfortably behind their defense. The Vikings held the Thunderbirds to .053 hitting, the second lowest hitting percentage for a Viking opponent this season. The Thunderbirds only had 12 kills combined through the first two sets of the match, and hit negative-.133 in the second set.
 
"We stayed patient offensively tonight, and that sometimes results in a low hitting percentage, but it allows us to set up defensive points," Seemann said.
 
In addition to the tough defense, the Vikings also dominated the serving game. The Vikings out-aced the Thunderbirds 8-to-3, while the Vikings were gifted 10 points off of Southern Utah service errors. Parker Webb led the Vikings with three aces, including two back-to-back early in the second set. Ellie Snook and Zoe McBride added two aces each, while Makayla Lewis chipped in another.
 
Offensively, the Vikings flashed their depth against the Thunderbirds, further proving that they can beat teams in a variety of different ways this season. Webb and Lewis – who came into the match averaging 3.79 kills and 3.64 kills per set, respectively, over the Vikings' last 10 matches – combined for only eight kills, and four of those came from Webb in the third set, when she hit .667.
 
Maddy Reeb stepped up to lead the Vikings in their place, recording 10 kills on .471 hitting. Reeb recorded eight kills on her first 10 swings of the match without committing an attack error. Reeb's 10th kill then gave the Vikings match point in the third set, while Webb finished it with an emphatic kill after subbing in for Reeb.
 
"Maddy has been absolutely tearing it up in practice and really clicking with T [Teniyah Leuluai]. And we liked our matchup on the right side tonight," Seemann said of Reeb.
 
Reeb has emerged as another weapon for the Vikings over their last three matches, along with freshman Teniyah Leuluai. Reeb and Leuluai have come on in spell of Webb and starting setter Ally Wada, as the Vikings have played a 6-2 formation since the team's match at Idaho last Thursday. Reeb has averaged 3.11 kills per set over the team's last three matches, during which time she's hit .480.
 
Webb finished with six kills behind Reeb, thanks to her big third set. No other Viking had more than four kills.
 
Snook led the Viking defense with 17 digs while adding five assists. Ashleigh Barto posted a team-high four blocks, three of which came in a row at a crucial point in the third set. The Vikings had fallen behind 10-6 early in the third set, but then scored 10 straight points to take the lead. Barto's three straight blocks came out of a Southern Utah timeout at 10-all, and pushed the Vikings ahead for good.
 
The Vikings also finished the second set on a long run, as they broke a 15-all tie with nine straight points that got them to set point. Reeb kicked off the run with a kill, then added another to give the Vikings a 20-15 lead. Reeb also combined with Genevieve Florig for a block that made it 22-15, while McBride added a kill two points later that put the Vikings one away at 24-15.
 
Thursday's win set up a showdown between the Vikings and traditional conference power Northern Arizona Saturday. The Lumberjacks also swept their match Thursday, beating Sacramento State 3-0 on the road. Both teams will now head into Saturday (7 p.m. start) 4-1 in Big Sky play, with the winner guaranteed to be no worse than tied for second after the match.
 
And after Thursday, the Vikings know they can win in a variety of different ways, which could come in handy against the Lumberjacks.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improved to 13-6 all-time against Southern Utah after Thursday…Lewis had a quiet offensive night, but finished second to Snook with 11 digs…Morgan Halady recorded the first kill of her career Thursday.