Thursday • Oct. 16, 2008 • 7:00 PM
Los Angeles, Calif. (Gersten Pavilion - 4,156)
Live Stats/Audio/Video: lmulions.com
Series: LMU leads 35-8
Last Meeting: 2007: LMU 3, UP 0 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Pilots (5-14, 0-4 WCC) at No. 16 Pepperdine (14-1, 2-1 WCC)
Saturday • Oct. 18, 2008 • 1:00 PM
Malibu, Calif. (Firestone Fieldhouse - 3,104)
Live Stats: pepperdinesports.com
Series: PEPP leads 40-2
Last Meeting: 2007: PEPP 3, UP 0 (Malibu, Calif.)
This Week in Pilots Volleyball...
The Portland Pilots hit the road for the third weekend of conference play, with a match on Thursday, Oct. 16, against the LMU Lions at 7:00 p.m. in the Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif. Then on Saturday, Oct. 18, the Pilots play the Pepperdine Waves at 1:00 p.m. in the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
Game Day Coverage
All Portland home matches will once again be video streamed live at www.pilotsvideo.com. A season pass is available for $40, while single-game matches are $8. Free audio streams and live stats will continue to be available at www.portlandpilots.com.
Pilot Podcasts
As part of the new and improved portlandpilots.com, fans will be treated with frequent and exclusive interviews from all UP athletic programs throughout the 2008-09 sports seasons.
Visit the Pilots Podcast page for previews, reviews, Q&A’s and other fun features. Coaches, student-athletes and athletic administrators will be frequent contributors to the new Podcast page.
Looking Back
The Pilots, who sit at a 5-14 overall (0-4 WCC) record, hosted conference opponents Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s last weekend. On Thursday evening, the Pilots fell to the No. 20 Broncos in their first home conference match of the season. The Broncos won with scores of 25-18, 25-20, and 25-21. Senior Jennifer Sheedy had the match high in blocks, getting above the net for six of the team’s eight blocks, one of those a block solo.
On Saturday afternoon in the Chiles Center, junior Kaylyn Jones and sophomore Jennifer Clemens both had double-doubles for the Pilots but Saint Mary’s found a way to win in three straight sets with scores of 28-26, 25-20 and 25-12.
Scouting LMU
The Lions lost their only match last week, a 3-1 set-back to Pepperdine at Gersten Pavilion. The Waves took the first two sets before LMU bounced back to win the third. Pepperdine then won the fourth and deciding set 25-16.
Emily Day leads the LMU attack with team highs of 275 total kills and 180 digs. Day posts marks of 4.5 kills and 3.0 digs per game. Ariana Covington is second on the team with 151 kills this fall. Setter Renee Horton has the team high in assists with 529. Diana Hiromoto has been lethal on the service line with 19 aces in just nine match appearances this season.
Head coach Steve Stratos is in his 19th season with the Lions who went 16-13 last fall, and 8-6 in WCC play, good enough for fourth place. Eight letterwinners and three (+ libero) starters returned this season. The Lions lead the all-time series with Portland 35-8. UP has a 2-18 record when playing at LMU. In the last meeting between the two teams in 2007, the Lions won 3-0 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Scouting Pepperdine
Following their 3-1 win against LMU last weekend, the Waves moved up a spot to No. 16 in this week’s CBS College Sports Network/AVCA national rankings.
Pepperdine’s attack is paced by Julie Rubenstein, who leads the team with 232 total kills and a per game average of 4.4. Kim Hill puts up the stops at the net with a team high 56 total blocks, while Stevi Robinson leads in digs with 209. Kiah Fiers is at the setter’s spot, handing out 503 assists (10.5 apg) this season.
Head coach Nina Matthies is in her 26th season with the Waves, who went 18-8 overall last season and 9-5 in WCC play. Eight letterwinners and four starters returned this fall. The Waves lead the all-time series against UP 40-2 and have an 8-2 advantage in the last 10 matches against the Pilots. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, Pepperdine won 3-0 in Malibu, Calif., in 2007.
Pilots among WCC Leaders
Jessica Clemens, a sophomore outside hitter, is currently ranks third in the WCC in service aces, with 22 of the team’s 79. Jessica Clemens also has the conference match high with 10 service aces against South Florida.
Ashley Grayson, a senior middle blocker, is currently ninth in the WCC in total kills with 200.
Trio of Seniors
In their final year on the Bluff, Portland Pilot seniors, K.C. Fox, Ashley Grayson and Jennifer Sheedy are adapting to a new system under first year Coach Houck. All seniors are playing pivotal roles this season. Grayson, a middle blocker who can play multiple positions, is leading the team with 200 kills (2.99 kills per set). Grayson has also put up 34 total blocks so far, five of those solo.
Sheedy, Grayson’s counterpart in the middle, has connected on 178 kills for 2.62 per set and leads the team with 46 total blocks, that includes 11 solos.
Fox, an outsider hitter, continues to be consistent this season both offensively and defensively. She has an average of 1.54 kills per set (103 total), 1.45 digs per set (97 total), 18 total blocks and is second on the team in service aces with 16.
NKOTB Update
The Pilot newcomers have quickly integrated the team, contributing on both sides of the ball. The 6-2 freshman middle blocker Marissa Plummer is second on the team in total blocks with 40, nine of which are solos, and leads the team in blocks per set with 0.70. Also shouldering some of the attack, Plummer has consistently held the team high attacking percentage, which is now at .274, connecting on 100 kills on 226 swings (1.84 kills per set).
Freshman libero Allix Strahon, who has consistently seen court time, is a significant help on defense with 1.96 digs per set and 104 total.
The 6-0 outside hitter Katie Hronek, who hails from Kent, Wash., and the athletic outside hitter Robyn Hall, from Hayward, Calif. are also helping to reinforce the Pilots this season. Rounding out the newcomers is Rachel Fleming, an outside hitter from Vancouver, Wash., who also stands at 6-0.
Sheedy Shaker
Senior Jennifer Sheedy’s performance this weekend sent her into the all-time top-ten list in career kills, Sheedy sit in the 10th position with 930 career kills and a 5th-ranked career hitting percentage of .259. Sheedy is also ninth on the block assists list with 193 and she is ninth on the career total blocks list with 248.
The Career Charts
Joining Sheedy on UP’s all-time career charts is four-year starter Ashley Grayson. Grayson is fifth on the career block assists list with 216 and she is seventh in total blocks with 261.
Danielle Dupar is ranked fifth on the career digs per set list with 3.11 mark.
The Sisters Clemens
Sisters Maria and Jessica Clemens are back for their second season together on The Bluff. Maria, a junior, has moved to setter this year after spending the last two years as mainly an outside hitter. Jessica, a sophomore outside hitter, leads the team in three categories, in service aces (22), in digs per set (2.62) and total digs (170). Jessica also plays basketball for UP.
The Clemens name is a familiar one throughout the state of Oregon. Brother Kellen was a standout quarterback for the Oregon Ducks and is currently playing for the New York Jets in the NFL.
