GREELEY, Colo. — The Portland State volleyball team played better than it did Thursday, but still ended up with the same result, dropping a 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-16) decision to Northern Colorado Saturday night at Bank of Colorado Arena.
 
The Vikings (6-17, 5-7 Big Sky) found some success against a Northern Colorado team that came into the match atop the Big Sky standings. Middle Blockers Naomi White and Reese Biesemeyer combined for 12 kills in the match, while they also led the Vikings to a 5.0-to-4.0 blocking advantage.
 
But the Bears (19-6, 10-2 Big Sky) played motivated after having an eight-match win streak snapped at the hands of Sacramento State Thursday and didn't let the match get too close.
 
The Bears outhit the Vikings .356-to-.136 in the match. That was thanks in part to their tough serving, which resulted in nine aces against the Vikings. The Vikings could only muster two aces in return while committing nine service errors.
 
Northern Colorado led early in all three sets. The Vikings were still within three points in the middle of all three sets, but the Bears played better in the closing points to finish them off. In the first set, the Bears closed on an 8-4 run. In the second set, it was a 9-1 burst to finish the frame. In the third, it was an 8-2 run.
 
White had back-to-back kills to get the Vikings within three at 17-14 in the third set. She finished tied with Makaya Lewis for the team lead with seven kills each. White's seven kills came on .429 hitting while she also led the Vikings with two blocks in the match.
 
Lewis added seven digs to her seven kills. The seven digs pushed her over 1,000-career digs, putting her in exclusive company in the 1,000-kill, 1,000-dig club. She's only the second Vikings during the program's Big Sky era (1996-present) to join the club, joining Jessica Brodie (1,533 kills, 1441 digs).
 
Biesemeyer added five kills on .286 hitting. She was hitting .600 with three kills through the first set, but then gave way to White and Lewis over the final two frames.
 
The Vikings will look for better results next week as they conclude their four-match road trip at Montana State and Montana. They'll begin the week at Montana State Thursday, before playing at Montana Saturday. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT.
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