CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Portland State volleyball team closed its non-conference schedule with a 3-0 loss (25-17, 25-17, 25-14) to in-state power Oregon State Friday at Gill Coliseum.
The Vikings (4-7) were coming off a competitive match against No. 23 Oregon Thursday night. They couldn't muster the same challenge against the Beavers (5-5) as Oregon State outhit the Vikings .435-to-.087 while out-killing them 50-to-22.
The Vikings had an early peek at what an upset could have looked like Friday.
Ava Blascziek recorded four straight aces to give the Vikings an early 5-2 lead in the first set. The Vikings were still tied at 15-all when the Beavers took control with a 7-1 run and didn't look back from there.
Kill production, which prevented the Vikings from challenging the Ducks even more Thursday, was an issue again. No Viking had more than one kill until the team's sixth point of the second set when
Brenna Coffman recorded her second. The Vikings didn't have more than eight kills in any set, while the Beavers had 17, 19 and 14, respectively, between the three sets.
Serving was a bright spot for the Vikings. Blascziek added another ace later in the match to go with her four in a row early on as she tied her career high with five.
Alivia Eikenberg and
Ashley Repetti both recorded aces of their own, giving the Vikings seven as a team and matching them with the Beavers.
Repetti led the Vikings with five kills to go with six digs and a block. Coffman was the Vikings' most efficient offensive player with four kills on .571 hitting.
Katarina Kosic recorded four kills on .231 hitting from the right side while leading the Vikings at the net with three blocks.
Eikenberg led the Vikings' back row with seven digs.
The Vikings will now turn their attention to Big Sky Conference play, which gets underway at home next week against the conference's two newcomers in Utah Tech and Southern Utah. The Vikings open against Utah Tech on Sept. 24. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
MATCH NOTES:
- The Vikings still lead the all-time series between them and the Beavers, 35-14, despite the loss. The Beavers have won three in a row in the series and 10 of the last 13 going back to 1998, however.
- The Beavers' .435 hitting percentage marked a season high for a Viking opponent. The Vikings' .087 was their second worst of the season.
