POCATELLO, Idaho — Down 23-20 in the third set with the match tied at 1-1, the Portland State volleyball team completed the comeback to steal the set, then rode that momentum to a 3-1 win (25-19, 16-25, 27-25, 25-20) over Idaho State Saturday at Reed Gym.
 
Senior Tyra Schaub recorded back-to-back kills to start a 3-0 run that leveled the third set at 23-all. Idaho State (7-15, 3-7) won a challenge to earn a set point at 24-23, but the Vikings (10-12, 6-5) erased that by forcing an ISU attack error. ISU erased a set point to get to 25-all, but the Vikings again went to Schaub, then Naomi White to win the third set, 27-25.
 
A 5-1 run early in the fourth set then put the Vikings up for good as they closed out the season sweep of the Bengals with the win.
 
"I can only point to the toughness of this team in that moment," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann said of his team's comeback in the third set. "We had to make plays, and everyone executed their roles very well.
 
"I couldn't be prouder of this team. We are understanding how to stay strong and execute on the road. Today was a tough environment and we relied on one another to stay focused and ultimately earn a win."
 
The toughness late in the third set – particularly on the road – showed the growth of a young Viking team in close sets. The Vikings had lost their last three sets that went beyond 25 points, including a 26-24 loss in the third set of Thursday's match at Weber State. The extra-point win Saturday marked the Vikings' first on the road since they beat Montana State, 26-24, in the third set on Sept. 27. That also happened to be the Vikings' last Big Sky road win.
 
Seemann went to his bench to secure the win. The Vikings played 13 of the 15 players available to them against the Bengals, tied for their most players used in a conference match this season.
 
The players on the bench not only played, they were vital. Ashley Repetti had four kills on .429 hitting off the bench. Katie Brewer recorded the first solo block of her Portland State career, while Jessica Truong and Cali-Jo Shigemasa recorded five and three digs, respectively, as subs in the back row.
 
"The contributions we got off the bench were instrumental in our victory today," Seemann said afterwards.
 
The biggest lineup change of the past weekend has been Brenna Coffman on the right side. She set career highs with seven kills and nine digs while also contributing three blocks against the Bengals.
 
Coffman helped set the tone early, recording three kills on her first three swings of the match as the Vikings jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first set. She helped open things up for the rest of the team, as the Vikings outhit the Bengals .244-to-.086 in the opening set.
 
The Bengals bounced back with a dominant second set in which they hit .607 – the best mark for a Viking opponent in a set this season. But the Vikings held them to .146 and .152 over the next two sets to close out the match.
 
Schaub's heroics late in the third set came as part of six kills she had on .357 hitting in the set. White also had four kills on five swings in the frame, hitting .800 in the key set of the match.
 
Alivia Eikenberg – after Repetti gave her a chance to reset in the third set – led the way in the fourth with five kills on .500 hitting in what proved to be the close-out set for the Vikings.
 
Setter Ava Blascziek recorded 42 assists and eight digs while also putting down a career-high four kills of her own. The last of those four kills gave the Vikings match point at 24-20 in the fourth set, and she'd convert that immediately with the third of her three aces in the match.
 
Schaub and Eikenberg finished with 16 and 14 kills, respectively, to lead the Vikings. White recorded nine kills on .471 hitting.
 
Paige Stepaniuk led all players with 18 digs in the match. Her 13th dig of the afternoon, which came in the third set, gave her 1,000 in her Portland State career. She's only the ninth player to reach the 1k milestone for digs during the program's Big Sky era (1996-present).
 
The Vikings will return home next weekend for their final two matches at Viking Pavilion this season. The Vikings host Northern Colorado Thursday, then Northern Arizona Saturday, with both matches starting at 7 p.m.
 
Match Notes:

• The Vikings lead the all-time series between them and the Bengals, 42-29, with Saturday's win.
• Saturday's match was the first time the Vikings had won a match within Big Sky play when their opponent hit over .200. Idaho State hit .222 Saturday.
• The Vikings are 7-1 when winning the first set this season after taking the opener in Saturday's win.
• The Vikings are 13-13 in two-point sets this season and 5-6 in extra-point sets after winning the third set of Saturday's match, 27-25.

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