The Weber State University volleyball team couldn’t pull together a win on Thursday night, as they fell to Portland State University 3-2 in the Wildcats’ home opener.

“When we focus upon the right things then we’re a really nice volleyball team,” said WSU Head Coach Jeremiah Larsen. “But when we get backed up with other things that aren’t necessary to our success then we fall apart like we did in games four and five.”

After dropping the first set 25-20, the Wildcats rallied together to win the second and third sets both by a score of 25-20. The Vikings came back in the fourth set and won 25-18 to tie the match at 2-2 before winning the fifth set 15-8 to give them their first conference win of the season.

Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Varley led the Wildcats with 16 kills in the loss. Junior outside hitter Ciera Borho was the only other Wildcat with double-digit kills on Thursday, recording 12 kills against the Vikings.

Students, family, faculty and alumni cheered the women on from the stands throughout the entire game, despite the Wildcats’ loss

“It’s always nice to have our fans behind us,” Borho said. “We love having as many people as we can get here. Our student sections are awesome.”

The Wildcats took on Sacramento State in their second home game on Saturday night. The Hornets quickly swept the Wildcats in three sets to give Weber State its third straight loss.

Junior outside hitter Megan Thompson led the team with eight kills on Saturday while sophomore setter Taylor Christensen-Kinikini had a game-high 25 assists and a game-high six digs.

The Wildcats (5-10, 1-3 in conference play) head out on the road for their next four games beginning on Thursday when they play against University of North Dakota (14-6, 3-1)

After Thursday’s game, Larsen said he felt confident in his team looking ahead to the rest of the season.

“I think we’re ready for every game,” Larsen said. “If we focus on the tasks at hand then yeah, I think we’re ready”