Portland (5-14, 0-4 WCC) had two set points in the opening set and then fought off the Gaels’ first set point before dropping a heartbreaker that set the tone of the match. Saint Mary’s improved to 13-4 overall, 3-1 in the WCC and has only lost to ranked opponents this season.

Portland senior outside hitter Ashley Grayson led all players with 15 kills in the match, while sophomore teammate Jessica Clemens added 12 kills and 13 digs. Junior setter Kaylyn Jones also added a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs.

Shannon Lowell paced the Gaels with 13 kills, while Lauren Jaeckel added 10 kills.

Neither side led by more than two points throughout the entire first set, but consecutive kills by Grayson and Clemens gave the Pilots a 24-23 lead and their first set point. Following a Saint Mary’s timeout, Clemens’ attack was blocked by Lowell and Chanteal Satele to even the score. Another Clemens kill gave UP their second set point, but Satele posted back-to-back kills to give SMC its first set point. After a service error evened the score at 26-26, the Gaels received points on kills by Satele and Jaeckel to close out the first set.

The second set followed much of the same formula as the tug-of-war continued all the way to a 15-15 tie. SMC used a 4-1 run to gain a 19-16 edge and held off the Pilots on the shoulders of Jaeckel’s seven kills. Grayson put down eight kills in the set to pace Portland.

The Gaels carried their momentum into the third set and ran away from the get-go to earn the sweep.

Portland hit .155 for the match with 35 kills, while Saint Mary’s posted an attack percentage of .340 with 46 kills. The Gaels had a 6-3 edge in blocks, while the Pilots gained a 40-38 margin in digs.

The Pilots will continue WCC play next week on the road, beginning with a Thursday night match at Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. The road trip concludes on Saturday at Pepperdine with a 1 p.m. start.