USAF ACADEMY, Colo. — The Portland State volleyball team shook off a rough opening set to force three deuce sets against host Air Force Saturday. Unfortunately for the Vikings, two of the three deuce sets went against them, as the Falcons hung on for a 3-1 win (25-14, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23).
 
The Vikings (0-3) will lament coming away without a win at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, but they earned several smaller victories within Saturday's match against the Falcons (2-0).
 
None were bigger than the Vikings' win at the net. After not recording a block in the first set, the Vikings caught fire over the last three sets and ended up out-blocking Air Force 13.0-to-7.0. The 13.0 team blocks tied the Vikings' season high from last season. What's more, the Vikings now have two matches with 10+ blocks, something they only achieved four times last season.
 
"Today, we competed as a team," Portland State head coach Michael Seemann, who lamented his team's inconsistency after their first two matches Friday, said after the match. "We learned about ourselves because we were committed as one unit. I am proud of our collective effort today."
 
Freshman Brenna Coffmann led the Vikings individually at the net, recording seven blocks including three solo. Preseason All-Big Sky selection Naomi White added five blocks while six different players recorded at least two for the Vikings.
 
"Our blocking continues to improve. If we can meet that with better digging, then our defense can be a strength of ours," Seemann said.
 
Coffman's strong match was one of many from the Viking freshmen. In addition to Coffman, freshman Alivia Eikenberg led the Viking offense with 16 kills on .306 hitting while narrowly missing her first double-double with nine digs. Freshman Willow Watson added five kills and three blocks, while redshirt freshman Amber Walker recorded seven kills on .250 hitting to go with two blocks.
 
Watson helped fire up the block for the Vikings in the second set. She was part of both Vikings' blocks in the frame, the second of which gave the Vikings a 16-13 lead midway through the set.
 
Eikenberg then steadied the Vikings late in the set. She recorded kills on three of the Vikings' final four points in the set, including one on set point. Six of her team-high 16 kills came in the second set when she hit .444.
 
The Viking offense struggled a bit in the third set. After recording 13 kills on .276 hitting while winning the second set, those numbers dropped to eight kills on .054 hitting in the third. But the Vikings made up for that by out-blocking the Falcons 5.0-to-1.0 within the frame. Coffman was part of three of the Vikings' five blocks, including two solo. Coffman and Eikenberg recorded back-to-back solo blocks as the Vikings saved four straight set points late in the third.
 
The Falcons ultimately closed out the set, but the Vikings – especially their block – stayed hot at the start of the fourth. Three blocks came as part of a 5-0 PSU run that saw the Vikings take an early 7-5 lead. White was part of all three blocks, combining with Walker for two of the three and Sydney Stenson for the other.
 
The Falcons responded with a 10-1 run a little later, but the Vikings answered with a 6-1 run of their own to make it a one-point set at 17-16, Air Force. Eikenberg had three kills within the 6-1 run, part of four she had in the fourth set.
 
The Vikings got back within a point three more times over the rest of the set – including saving two match points to get within 24-23 – but could never get over the hump as the Falcons closed out the victory.
 
Ashley Bible and Alysa Walker led Air Force with 20 and 18 kills, respectively. Walker's 18 kills came on .455 hitting.
 
Allison Panter led the Vikings with 22 assists to go with eight digs and three aces.
 
Stenson led the Vikings with 14 digs to go with six kills, while Paige Stepaniuk added 13 digs.
 
The Vikings stay on the road next week as they head to the Bay Area for two different tournaments. The Vikings will play at the Battle By The Bay, hosted by the University of San Francisco, and the Santa Clara Mission Classic, hosted by Santa Clara University. The weekend opens with a match against Long Beach State in San Francisco on Sept. 4 at 2 p.m.
 
And if Saturday's last three sets are any indicator, then expect more highlights in the Bay.
 
Match Notes:

• The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Falcons, 5-2, despite Saturday's loss.
• The Vikings' 13.0 team blocks tied their most since they had 15.0 against Montana on Oct. 21, 2023.
• Eikenberg, Coffman, Stenson and Panter were all making their return to Colorado, their home state.
• Air Force outhit Portland State .237-to-.141 offensively, while out-killing the Vikings 62-to-42.

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