Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Portland State
WSU Snaps Losing Skid with 3-2 Win Over Portland State
9/26/2009 2:45:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Weber State volleyball team snapped a losing streak with a big 3-2 win over Portland State Friday night at the Swenson Gym. The Wildcats picked up a 27-25, 16-25, 25-16, 16-25, 15-9 win for their first conference win of the season.
It was a seesaw match all night long. The Wildcats won the first set 27-25, the first time they had won the first set of a match all season. There were eight ties and one lead change in that set, but from then on there were no more lead changes all night.
The Vikings dominated the second set hitting .207 compared to -.032 for Weber State. The Wildcats bounced back hitting .414 with 14 kills and just two errors to win the third set.
The fourth set went back to Portland State who hit .414 to set up the decisive fifth set. The Wildcats jumped out to a 7-3 lead early on and never looked back. Of the 15 points in the set WSU had ten kills and committed just one hitting error. Both of Weber State's wins this season have been in five sets.
“Tonight we found a way to win,” said WSU head coach Al Givens. “We had really good balance and contributions from a lot of different players. We had a great week of practices and it translated into a great effort tonight. This was a very even match but we were able to find a way to win. Now we have to build off of this momentum and get ready for Saturday.”
Statistically the match was very close. Portland State had two more kills and three more assists than the Wildcats, but Weber State had two more digs and two more blocks.
Senior Chelsea Bair was one of three Wildcats in double figures in kills. She posted her third double-double of the season with 13 kills and 14 digs. Caitlyn Anderson led the 'Cats with a season-high 14 kills and Bethany Wray added a career-high of 11 kills. Amy Fackrell had eight kills and just one error for a hitting percentage of .583 and also recorded five blocks. Jenna Leggat added 11 digs, six kills, and five blocks for the Wildcats.
Portland State's Whitney Phillips posted a career-high 28 kills in the match.
With the win the Wildcats improve to 2-11 on the season, snapping a nine-match losing streak. They are now 1-2 in Big Sky play, while Portland State drops to 2-1 in the league.
Weber State will be right back in action Saturday night when the 'Cats host Eastern Washington at 7:00 p.m. at the Swenson Gym. The Eagles are 3-0 in the Big Sky after a 3-2 win at Idaho State Friday night.
