OGDEN, Utah — The Portland State volleyball team battled in its second straight road match Saturday night. But it wasn't enough as Weber State topped the Vikings in four sets (25-18, 15-25, 25-14, 25-18) at Swenson Gym.
 
The Vikings (4-15, 3-5 Big Sky) flashed their best stuff in the second set, when they leveled the match with a dominant 25-15 set win. They outhit the Wildcats (9-11, 6-3 Big Sky) .361-to-.158 in the frame, while recording 15 kills, two aces and two blocks.
 
"We continue to grow and take our experiences forward. This group remains hungry and motivated to improve," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said after the match. "We were able to get a more balance offense with the 6-2, as Alli [Panter] continues to grow more confident as a setter. Our middles are tireless, and they continue to produce…both of them growing stronger with each match. We will continue to strive for winning the moment and sets and matches will follow."
 
Reese Biesemeyer and Carisa Barron led the way for the Vikings in the set. Biesemeyer posted five kills on nine swings while Barron had four kills on six swings. Three of Barron's four kills came on the Vikings' first five points in the set, as she helped set the tone early. Biesemeyer then helped the Vikings stay in front. She recorded back-to-back kills to give the Vikings an 8-3 lead. Then, after the Wildcats had drawn within two, she added another kill and a block during a 5-0 run that pushed the Vikings' lead out to seven at 19-12.
 
Freshman Allison Panter eventually ended the set with an ace – one of three she had on the night – leveling the match at a set apiece.
 
Unfortunately for the Vikings, early leads for the Wildcats made the final two sets anti-climactic. The Vikings tried to fight back from a big deficit in the fourth set. The Wildcats led 19-11 in the frame when the Vikings rattled off six of the next seven points to get back within three at 20-17. Biesemeyer started the run with a kill, then served as the Vikings got kills from Barron and Naomi White, as well as a block between White and Sydney Stenson.
 
The Wildcats recovered to win five of the last six points, though, and close out the match.
 
Outside of the second set, the Vikings hit .086 or worse in the other three frames. Weber State outhit them .271-to-.104 for the match.
 
The Vikings found a bright spot in their back row, which out-dug the Wildcats 70-to-62. Four different players went into double figures for the Vikings in Paige Stepaniuk (23), Makayla Lewis (16), Barron (10) and Ella Hartford (10). Stepaniuk's 23 digs led all players in Saturday's match, while it also marked a new season high for the sophomore.
 
Another bright spot came in the play of some of the Vikings' bench players. Panter put together one of her best matches of the season, tying her career highs for assists (19), aces (3) and digs (8). Tyra Schaub also gave the Vikings some momentum at times with two kills as well as her first block of the season.
 
Offensively, Barron led the Vikings with 10 kills to go with her 10 digs, giving the senior transfer her second double-double out of the team's last three matches. Hartford also finished with a double-double, recording 16 assists to go with her 10 digs.
 
White and Biesemeyer added nine and eight kills, respectively, out of the middle. They were both hitting over .500 through the first two sets of the match, but cooled down a bit over the final two sets to finish at .333 and .350, respectively.
 
The Vikings will need them firing again next weekend as they return home looking to right the ship. They open the weekend with a match against Eastern Washington on Halloween night at 7 p.m., before hosting Idaho Saturday, also at 7 p.m.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Wildcats, 41-25, despite Saturday's loss…The Vikings have dropped five of their last six matches.
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