BOZEMAN, Mont. — A weekend that started with the Portland State volleyball team alone in first place in the Big Sky standings will end with the Vikings in third. The Vikings fell out of the top spot after Montana State saved two match points in the fourth set to beat the Vikings in five (25-22, 22-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-11) Saturday at Shroyer Gym.
 
Saturday's loss follows a four-set loss to Montana Thursday in which the Vikings also gave up late leads. The Grizzlies saved set points in the first and second sets Thursday before winning both, 26-24. Against the Bobcats, the Vikings led 24-22 in the fourth set before the Bobcats won four points in a row to force a fifth set.
 
Once in the fifth set, the Bobcats (11-14, 7-6 Big Sky) took the upper hand with a 5-1 start to the frame. The Vikings (14-10, 9-4 Big Sky) got back within two points three different times later in the set, but the Bobcats pushed the lead back out each time.
 
The Vikings now trail Weber State and Northern Colorado by half a game in the Big Sky standings, as both teams stand 9-3 in conference. Weber State and Northern Colorado play each other next weekend, so the Vikings could conceivably get back in the race for the regular-season title, but they'll now need help from other teams.
 
The first concern for the Vikings will be internal, however. They've now dropped three matches in a row after starting Big Sky play 9-1. Fortunately for the Vikings, next week features two matches at home in which they can hope to find their groove again.
 
They nearly re-found their mojo Saturday, as they shook off a tough first set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Vikings didn't lead at all until a Makayla Lewis ace gave them a 5-4 lead early in the second set. Things started to click from there for the Vikings, especially defensively. Montana State hit .233 in the first set, but the Vikings held them to .149 hitting in the second. Three blocks helped slow down the Bobcat offense that still out-killed the Vikings 16-to-12 in the second set.
 
Four blocks in the third set then saw the Vikings again hold the Bobcats to well under .200 hitting. The Viking offense, meanwhile, countered with a well-distributed 13 kills on .289 hitting in the third set. Ashlyn Blotzer and Sophia Meyers each had four kills in the frame, while Lewis added three kills to what was already a double-double for her to that point in the match.
 
Parker Webb then tried to carry the Vikings over the finish line late in the fourth set. Webb recorded kills on four of the Vikings' six points in a stretch that turned a close, 16-15 lead into a 22-19 advantage late in the set. Lewis added a kill to make it 23-20 PSU, while an MSU service error a few points later gave the Vikings two match points at 24-22.
 
The Bobcats saved one match point off a kill from Kira Thomsen – who finished with a match-high 32 kills to go with 20 digs – while a PSU attack error erased the other. A service ace then gave the Bobcats set point, which they converted immediately with a kill from Courtney Weatherby.
 
After that, the Bobcats rolled in the fifth set, out-hitting the Vikings .360-to-.200 in the frame.
 
The loss spoiled several big matches for the Vikings. Lewis finished with 19 kills and 16 digs as she recorded her second double-double of the weekend as well as her fourth in the Vikings' last five matches. Lewis had 20 kills and 12 digs Thursday against Montana, meaning she finished the weekend averaging 4.33 kills and 3.11 digs per set despite the team's two losses.
 
Webb followed Lewis with 15 kills, six of which came in the fourth set. Meyers added 14 kills while tying her season high with 17 digs to record her fifth double-double in the Vikings' last six matches.
 
Setter Madison Friebel recorded her fourth double-double in the Vikings' last five matches with 48 assists and a season-high-tying 16 digs. Libero Ellie Snook nearly added a fourth double-double for the Vikings, as she finished with 20 digs and eight assists to go with two service aces.
 
Sophomore Morgan Halady – just as she did against Northern Arizona on Oct. 27 – gave the Vikings a spark off the bench. Halady started the last four sets for the Vikings and finished with career highs for kills (3), blocks (5) and points (6.5).
 
Halady's contributions helped the Vikings record a conference season-high 10.0 blocks in the match. Besides Halady, Ashlyn Blotzer tied her season high with five blocks, while Lewis added three and Meyers and Webb recorded two each.
 
If the Vikings continue to turn a corner with their blocking, then the team could regroup in time for the Big Sky tournament at the end of the month. The first concern will be Thursday, however, as the Vikings return home to host Idaho at 7 p.m. Senior Day will follow for the Vikings Saturday, when the Vikings' families will come to Viking Pavilion for their match against Eastern Washington at 7 p.m.
 
Families and homecomings can cure a lot. The Vikings hope it can cure their ills after two losses in Montana.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Bobcats, 46-26-1, despite Saturday's loss…Saturday's five-set loss drops the Vikings to 3-1 in five-set matches this season…Snook hit the 2,000-dig milestone in her career during the match, joining Sacramento State's Kristin Lutes (2003-06), Idaho State's Haylie Keck (2016-19) and Montana State's Allyssa Rizzo (2016-19) as the only four players in conference history to record 2,000+ digs in their careers.