PHOENIX, Ariz. — Through a set, the Portland State volleyball team showed the same fight that made Friday's opening match at the GCU Classic a breath of fresh air. But a talented opponent in Pacific (Calif.) out of the West Coast Conference snuffed that out over the final two sets, handing the Vikings a 3-0 loss (27-25, 25-16, 25-16) Saturday at Global Credit Union Arena.
 
The Vikings (0-8) fought off two set points and earned one of their own late in the first set against the Tigers (6-2), taking a 25-24 lead. It was reminiscent of the second set against Grand Canyon last night, which the Vikings came back to win, 26-24. But the Tigers answered with three straight kills, two for Emily Van Groningen, to take the first set, then cruised in the second and third.
 
The Vikings initially led 10-8 in the second set. Their offense had picked up to that point, with the Vikings hitting over .300 in the set with nine kills on their first 10 points. Carisa Barron led the way with three early kills in the frame, while Makayla Lewis, Delaney Nicoll and Naomi White all chipped in two kills each.
 
But the Tigers answered with 13 of the next 14 points to take a commanding lead, and that momentum carried over the rest of the match.
 
The Vikings' hot start to the second set eventually cooled off as the Tigers outhit the Vikings .288-to-.167. The Vikings had a tough time containing Pacific's standout outside hitter Alexa Edwards, who accounted for 20 of her team's 49 kills in the match while hitting .366.
 
The Vikings continue to find bright spots from some of their younger players, however. Freshman Reese Biesemeyer followed up a strong outing against Grand Canyon – when she had 10 kills on .474 hitting – with another efficient showing, recording six kills on a team-best .545 hitting.
 
Sophomore Devon DeNecochea, meanwhile, started the third set and provided four kills on .500 hitting for the Vikings. Naomi White, another sophomore, added four kills from the middle to go with a team- and match-high four blocks.
 
Barron and Lewis led the Vikings with seven kills each. Setter Ella Hartford nearly recorded a double-double with 26 assists and nine digs to go with three block assists.
 
The Vikings have a tight turnaround for their next match, as they close out the GCU Classic against Butler Sunday at 11 a.m.  The early match means the Vikings will need to rely on the fight they showed Friday and parts of Saturday, and hope it extends throughout Sunday's match against the Bulldogs.
 
Match Notes: The Vikings and Tigers are tied, 4-4, in the all-time series between the two teams…Pacific out-killed the Vikings 49-to-32 in the match…The teams combined for 18 service errors in the match (PSU 10, Pacific 8) against only two aces (PSU 1, Pacific 1).
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