OGDEN, Utah — The Portland State volleyball team out-killed defending Big Sky champion Weber State on the Wildcats' home floor Thursday night, but the Wildcats were the more efficient team in beating the Vikings, 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 24-26, 25-14), as both teams opened conference play.
 
The Wildcats (6-5, 1-0 Big Sky) out-hit the Vikings (6-6, 0-1 Big Sky), .236-to-.138, Thursday, even as the Vikings out-killed the Wildcats, 51-to-47. The Vikings hadn't hit under .200 in any of their previous six matches, as the Vikings came into the match having won five of their last six.
 
"Our serve receive broke down as the match progressed," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said afterwards. "We were the better team at the net, but we just weren't in system enough."
 
Something that did carry over from the Vikings' 3-0 showing at the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown last weekend was the team's ability to comeback. The Vikings overcame an 0-2 deficit to beat North Dakota State last Saturday, and trailed by at least five points in every set they won in a 3-1 victory over Gonzaga Sunday.
 
The Vikings' comebacks against Gonzaga Sunday were the most analogous to the Vikings' comeback in the third set Thursday. The Vikings trailed by six at 12-6, but then won 10 of the next 14 points to tie the set at 16-all. Weber State went back up 19-17, but the Vikings scored six of the next seven points to take a 23-20 lead, and eventually closed out the set, 26-24.
 
Sophomore Gabby Hollins helped guide the Vikings' turnaround, as she came off the bench to record six kills on nine swings, all of which came after the Vikings fell behind 12-6 in the set. Ellie Snook also had eight of her match-high 25 digs in the third set, as the Viking defense responded after Weber State hit .517 in the second set to hold the Wildcats to .114 hitting in the third.
 
The Vikings couldn't duplicate their success in the fourth set, however. The Wildcats broke open what had been a close set by scoring 16 of the final 20 points of the match after the Vikings led 10-9 early in the fourth.
 
"We know how to fight when we are down, but our challenge is to fight from the very beginning and sustain the intensity that this team can operate at, compete, and ultimately succeed with," Seemann said.
 
Makayla Lewis led the Vikings with 17 kills to go with 11 digs, as she recorded her third straight double-double and fourth of the season. Lewis had seven of her 17 kills in the first set, and recorded at least three kills in every set.
 
Parker Webb also went into double figures with 13 kills, while she came within a dig of her own double-double with nine Thursday. Webb, who was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week Monday, has recorded at least 10 kills in seven straight matches and nine of the Vikings' 12 matches this season. The Wildcats held her to a lower hitting percentage, however, as she hit .212 after topping .340 in every match last weekend.
 
Hollins finished with seven kills and seven digs despite not playing until coming off the bench in the third set.
 
Setter Ally Wada finished a dig away from her seventh double-double of the season, as she totaled 37 assists to go with nine digs.
 
Snook recorded her third straight match with at least 25 digs, as she led all players in the category Thursday.
 
The Vikings have a chance to bounce back quickly, as they head over to Pocatello for a match against Idaho State Saturday. The Bengals host the Vikings at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Wildcats, 36-27, despite Thursday's loss…The Vikings had been 5-0  this season when Snook records at least 20 digs before Thursday…The Wildcats out-blocked the Vikings 11-to-7 Thursday…Ashleigh Barto led the Vikings with four blocks in the match.