POCATELLO, Idaho — A pair of two-point sets went against the Portland State volleyball team Thursday night, as the Vikings fell in three sets (25-19, 25-23, 27-25) to Idaho State at Reed Gym.
 
The two-point sets made the match closer than the 3-0 scoreline would appear. The Vikings (4-14, 3-4 Big Sky) made late comebacks in both sets after falling behind early.
 
In the second set, the Bengals (15-5, 6-2 Big Sky) jumped out to a 5-0 lead at the start of the set. They still led 21-17 late in the frame when the Vikings got back within one with a 3-0 run that started with back-to-back kills from Sydney Stenson.
 
The Vikings never got over the hump against the Bengals in the second set, however, and again found themselves down early in the third set. The Bengals scored the first four points in the third set and still led 20-15 when the Vikings rattled off seven of the next nine points to tie it at 22-all. Naomi White had two kills during that stretch for the Vikings, while fellow middle blocker Reese Biesemeyer chipped in a block and an ace.
 
The Vikings then erased two match points after the Bengals edged ahead again at 24-22. Makayla Lewis and Carisa Barron erased both match points with kills, while a block between White and Devon DeNecochea then gave the Vikings a set point at 25-24.
 
A service error erased the Vikings' set point, while the Bengals followed with back-to-back kills to close out the match.
 
"We fought tonight, but we got pinned in a couple of rotations and built a deficit in all three sets," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said after the match.
 
The Bengals were the more efficient team throughout Thursday's match. They outhit the Vikings .262-to-.154 in the match and held advantages in all three sets. Otherwise, the Vikings matched up well with the Bengals. Idaho State only had small advantages over the Vikings in kills (46-45), digs (61-58) and blocks (9.0-to-6.0).
 
A bright spot for the Vikings was the production from the team's right-side hitters. Still playing without regular starter Delaney Nicoll due to injury, DeNecochea and Stenson stepped up in her stead. Those two combined for 12 kills Thursday, with DeNecochea producing a career-high seven kills on .385 hitting while Stenson finished with five kills on .200 hitting.
 
"We got a lot of positive production from our right sides tonight, which has been an area we have been trying to improve," Seemann said.
 
DeNecochea added two aces to her seven kills while also chipping in four digs and three blocks. DeNecochea's three blocks were only topped by White's four.
 
The defense in general was another bright spot for the Vikings. In the back row, Paige Stepaniuk flung herself around the court while recording 19 digs, her second-highest total in a Big Sky match this season. Barron and Ella Hartford also went into double figures with 10 digs each, giving the Vikings three in double figures for the first time since their win over Montana on Sept. 28.
 
"We elevated our defensive mindset tonight, which I would like to see continued when we play at Weber State Saturday," Seemann said.
 
Offensively, Lewis led all players with 14 kills on .216 hitting. It was her second straight match going into double figures after a stretch in which she hit 10+ kills only once in six matches.
 
Barron followed Lewis with nine kills, leaving her one kill away from a second straight double-double. Hartford got her double-double with 35 assists to go with 10 digs.
 
The Vikings will hope to start sets better when they face Weber State Saturday at 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT. Do that better Thursday night against the Bengals, and things could have ended differently.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Bengals, 40-28, despite Thursday's loss…The Vikings are now 2-14 in two-point sets this season.
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