PORTLAND, Ore. - The Idaho State volleyball's toughest road trip of the season didn't start on a good note Friday night.

The Bengals fell to Big Sky-leading Portland State 25-22, 25-20, 25-13 in front of an announced 300 fans at the Stott Center.

With the loss, Idaho State drops to 9-12 overall and 3-6 in Big Sky play.

Throughout the match, the Bengals' offense could do very little against the Vikings (13-7, 7-2). No Idaho State player recorded more than six kills, and the team's highest hitting percentage (.333) came from sophomore setter Karissa Legaux.

Defensively, the Bengals didn't fare much better, as they allowed Whitney Phelps to tally 20 kills for Portland State. Marija Vojnovic chipped in 12 kills for the Vikings. Idaho State senior libero Paige Palmer had 11 digs to lead Idaho State.

With the loss, Idaho State fell to two back of Sacramento State and Montana for fourth place in the league standings. The top four advance to the postseason tournament.

The Bengals return to action tonight after a morning plane ride to Spokane, Wash. They'll face Eastern Washington - a team tied with Portland state on top of the Big Sky - at 8 p.m. in Cheney, Wash.