PORTLAND, Ore. — Halloween may have been Tuesday, but it was still a trick or treat match for the Portland State volleyball team Thursday night against Idaho. The Vikings started hot before finding themselves in a pair of tense sets in what was an eventual 3-1 (25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-18) victory at Viking Pavilion.
 
The Vikings (14-9, 7-5 Big Sky) dominated the first set, outhitting the Vandals .400-to-.061. The Vandals (1-23, 0-12 Big Sky) started the second set on fire offensively, but the Vikings eventually pushed ahead to take a two-set lead and complete control of the match.
 
But that's where Idaho revealed their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde costume. Only literary critics could tell us whether Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde was better at volleyball. Whichever one, that was who merged in the third set as the Vandals suddenly were serving better than they ever had this season, while also coming alive at the net. The Vandals set a season high with 11 aces against the Vikings, seven of which came in the third set as they pushed the match to a fourth. Additionally, nine of the Vandals' 14.0 blocks came after the first two sets, which helped them step up their defense after the Vikings hit .300 or better in the first two sets.
 
Even still, the Vikings weathered the storm, leading throughout the fourth set as they closed out their fourth win out of their last five matches.
 
"I feel like it's a bit of a pattern. I think the first set, we controlled the first set. Teams are still getting used to the gym at that point, so we sometimes jump out to these huge leads, but I think somehow it works against us sometimes. Because then we're having to earn points in a different way. Being physical at the net, making plays, digs, all that stuff. It almost feels like you have to rev up the engine again to get it going," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said afterwards.
 
"Overall, I think we were able to use a lot of people. We went deep. But it was a very weird match."
 
The Vikings were on pace to set a season high for hitting percentage through two sets. They dipped in the third set when Idaho held them to .000 hitting and only seven kills, but they still finished at .236 for the match. It's the third time the Vikings have hit over .200 in their last four matches, after they had done so just once in their previous six contests.
 
Even distribution, a hallmark in all four of the Vikings' recent wins, was there again Thursday. Five different Vikings finished with at least six kills in the match, and three of those five players hit .300 or better between Delaney Nicoll (six kills, .455 hitting), Kendra Duffey (seven kills, .385 hitting) and Lauryn Anderson (six kills, .308 hitting). Ashleigh Barto and Jasmine Powell weren't far off the other five, either, with five and four kills, respectively.
 
Gabby Hollins led the way with 15 kills on .294 hitting, her most kills since she also had 15 against Idaho State on Oct. 12. Sophia Meyers added 10 kills to go with 14 digs and three aces, giving Meyers her 15th double-double of the season and sixth in the team's last seven matches.
 
The Viking defense, meanwhile, limited what the Vandals could do on the other side of the net. With the exception of the first half of the second set, the Vandals didn't muster much offense outside of the service line, as the Vikings held them below .200 hitting in all four sets Thursday. The Vandals finished at .106 hitting for the match, just the second time in their past six matches that the Vikings have held an opponent below .200.
 
It looked like the Vikings would roll early Thursday. The Vikings scored the first seven points of the match, with Meyers recording two of her three aces during the opening run. By the time back-to-back kills from Hollins sparked Idaho's second timeout of the opening set, the Vikings led 18-9 and it was only a matter of time before they closed out a 1-0 lead.
 
The Vandals couldn't miss early in the second set. They led 15-13 at the media timeout and were hitting .346 with 10 kills to that point of the set. The Vikings took control with a 5-0 run to go up 18-15, however, then broke a 21-all tie with four straight points to end the frame. Anderson aced the Eagles to get the Vikings to set point, while the Vikings forced the Vandals into an attack error to seal it.
 
But that's when the Vandals came alive from the service line. Three straight aces for Idaho's Zuzanna Wieczorek set the tone early and gave the Vandals a 5-2 lead. The Vikings answered with four straight points, but the Vandals got another three aces – this time from Renata Lopez Morales – as part of a 6-0 run to go up 14-8.
 
The Vikings eventually got back within one at 18-17, but they only scored two points from there as the Vandals closed things out to push it to a fourth.
 
Hollins helped the Vikings establish themselves early in the fourth set. Three straight kills from her gave the Vikings a 4-1 lead, with the last two of them coming after long rallies.
 
The Vikings still couldn't shake the Vandals until four straight points turned a narrow 17-15 lead into a six-point advantage at 21-15. Delaney Nicoll put down a big momentum kill on the second point of the run, as she smashed an over-pass off a serve from Madison Friebel to put the Vikings up four.
 
The Vikings added another three points in a row to make it a 7-1 run that gave the Vikings match point at 24-16. The Vandals saved the first two match points they faced before Anderson closed things out with a kill.
 
Friebel recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 24 assists and 10 digs. Fellow setter Ella Hartford nearly matched her with 20 assists and seven digs.
 
The Vikings now look to earn a dose of revenge Saturday, when they face Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. at Viking Pavilion. The Eagles beat the Vikings, 3-1, in Cheney on Oct. 5 earlier this season.
 
The Vikings know they'll need to pass better than they did last time against the Eagles, or even better than how they did Thursday. The Eagles aced the Vikings 15 times the last time they faced each other, which was six more than any other opponent had put on the Vikings at the time.
 
But if they do, then it'll be all treats Saturday. As sweet as eating all your leftover Halloween candy. No Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde to steal all the best stuff.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings improved to 21-9 all time against the Vandals with Thursday's win…Meyers moved into ninth place all time by herself with her 27th career double-double as a Viking…The Vikings won despite being out-blocked (14.0-to-8.0) and out-aced (11-to-6), only the second time this season that they've been able to do that.
  Read Full Article