Box Score Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland and Portland State opened the Portland State Showcase in entertaining fashion Thursday night, with a nail-biting five-set match that concluded with the Vikings edging the visiting Pilots, 15-13 in the final set at the Stott Center. The match finished at 18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 13-15. The result improves PSU’s record to 5-2 and Portland drops to 2-6.
Pilot senior Jennifer Sheedy led all players with 19 kills and four Pilots had at least 10 kills in the match. Junior setter Kalyln Jones had a match-high 51 assists. Freshman Allix Strahon tied Viking Jalen Pendon for the match-high in digs with 25. Viking Erica Jepsen posted the match-high for blocks with eight.
PSU finished at .256 hitting percentage, while UP posted a .194 hitting mark for the match.
The Vikings opened the match winning the first set 25-18 thanks to solid performances by sophomore Christie Hamilton, who connected on five kills, and junior Lindsey Steele, who contributed three. On UP’s side of the net, Sheedy came out strong with four kills and two blocks. Junior outside hitter Maria Clemens helped open the Portland scoring with three kills, and also three digs.
The Pilots rebounded in the second set with another offensive frenzy from Sheedy with six kills. Freshman Marissa Plummer and senior Ashley Grayson helped out with three kills apiece and K.C. Fox had two. Jones teed up 13 of 14 sets and added five digs. Strahon led the way defensively with eight digs, Jessica Clemens got behind six. UP, ahead of PSU 16-12 on kills and 24-21 on digs, comfortably closed out the set at 25-21.
With one set apiece, the third was free for the taking and PSU once again stepped up. Taking care of the ball on both sides of play, PSU outdid UP 11-7 in digs and 15-14 in kills. This time Viking junior Jennifer Oney slammed down six kills and junior Marija Vojnovic four contributing to the highest attacking percentage of any set by any team the entire match at .462. Grayson countered with four and Jessica Clemens and senior K.C. Fox had three each. Strahon again got down for three digs, but the Vikings pulled ahead on the scoreboard.
Again, UP fired back, winning the fourth 26-24. Jones was dishing out assists all over the floor. Her 13 passes set up every kill on the UP side of the net including five by Sheedy and four by Plummer. The Portland defense was perhaps the key this set, with 23 digs and three team blocks bringing home the set, despite PSU posting more kills than UP.
Both teams were hungry to take the fifth and deciding set, but it was PSU who dominated the attack early laying down two quick kills to jump ahead 2-0, forcing Portland to play catch up for the remainder of the match. At 2-1 the Vikings three-point streak moved them to 5-1 thanks to kills from Steele and setter Nique Fradella. A kill from Jessica Clemens and a service ace saw Portland creep closer with at 6-4. Despite kills from Plummer and Grayson, the relentless PSU side wouldn’t crack and pushed ahead to 11-7. Portland battled to the end with Jessica Clemens and Jennifer Sheedy connecting on two kills each but PSU wrapped up the match at 15-13.
Portland next meets Seattle on Friday at 2 p.m. in their second match of the Portland State Showcase at the Stott Center.
