FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The Portland State volleyball team couldn't maintain its level from a 2-0 home weekend in the first match of a four-match road trip Thursday. Where defense and serving led the Vikings to last weekend's sweep, Northern Arizona held the upper hand in both facets while sweeping the Vikings, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-19), at Rolle Activity Center.
 
The Vikings (6-16, 5-6 Big Sky) punched first in the match, using a 5-0 run to take command of the first set, up 12-8. Carisa Barron had two kills during the run, while Makayla Lewis and Naomi White added a kill each.
 
The Vikings then stayed in front until the Lumberjacks (11-11, 4-7 Big Sky) tied the set late at 22-all. The Vikings went ahead again with a kill from Barron, then induced an overpass on the next point that – if put away – could have given the Vikings set point at 24-22. It wasn't, however, and the Lumberjacks ended up winning four of the last five points of the set to take it, 26-24.
 
The Vikings appeared to respond well early in the second set, going up 7-2, but NAU took command from there. The 'Jacks won 13 of the next 17 points and maintained at least a four-point lead for the rest of the set.
 
One last push from the Vikings came in the third set, when they strung five points in a row to go up 8-6 early. Lewis had kills on two of the five points, while White added another kill and a block alongside Sydney Stenson.
 
It was still a tight set at 14-all, when NAU made its final run with eight straight points to put the match away.
 
Lewis led the Vikings with 17 kills on .250 hitting. The 17 kills matched the season high she set last Thursday in the Vikings' win over Eastern Washington. She's now gone into double figures for kills in five of the Vikings' last six matches, during which time she's averaging 3.86 kills per set.
 
Barron added nine kills to go with 13 digs. But no other Viking finished with more than three kills, as the Vikings missed the distribution that has been a hallmark of their wins this season.
 
The Vikings hit just .115 as a team in the match, after hitting better than .225 in both wins last weekend. Additionally, after recording 22 aces combined over their two wins last week, the Vikings only recorded one Thursday, which came in the first set from freshman Allison Panter.
 
Panter was the lone Viking to record a double-double – the first of her career – as she finished with 12 assists and 12 digs.
 
Defensively, the Lumberjacks were hitting over .200 for most of the match before dipping just below the mark at .197.
 
The Vikings continue on the road Saturday when they'll play at Northern Colorado at 5 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. MT.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings fell to 26-32 all-time against NAU with Thursday's loss…Thursday's match marked the Vikings' first loss to NAU in their last six matches…Lewis added seven digs to her 17 kills, leaving her five away from 1,000 in her career.
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