Complete Relase (pdf) |
Printable "Dig for the Cure" Donation Form
This Week in Pilots Volleyball...
The Portland Pilots host No. 15 San Diego and No. 22 San Francisco to get the second half of conference play underway. On Thursday, Oct. 30, the Pilots will look for their first conference win of the season against the San Diego Toreros at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center. UP plays this match in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation “Dig for the Cure” campaign. Fans can pledge money per dig by the Pilots or make a flat donation. Pilots will wear pink warm-ups and fans are encouraged to show their support by wearing pink as well!
On Saturday Nov. 1 the Pilots sqaure up against the San Francisco Dons at 12:00 p.m., also in the Chiles Center.
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 (6-17 overall, 0-7 WCC) faced conference opponent Gonzaga and Cal State Bakersfield at home last weekend. On Saturday afternoon, the Pilots were swept with scores of 25-21, 25-16, and 25-16. Senior Ashley Grayson paced the Pilots’ attack with a team high 11 kills and a .226 hitting percentage. Sophomore Jessica Clemens led the Pilots’ defense with 10 digs and freshman Marissa Plummer had four blocks.
On Monday evening Portland claimed a 3-1 win over Cal State Bakersfield, who are playing an independent schedule this year, with scores of 22-25, 25-19, 25-22 and 25-16. Grayson and Jessica Clemens collected 15 kills each to help the Pilots snap a seven-match losing streak. Clemens also posted a career high 19 digs and earned a ninth double-double this season. The Pilots got a big boost from freshman reserve setter Allix Strahon, who came on in the second set and finished with a career high 32 assists.
Scouting San Diego
The No. 15 Toreros, who sit at a 16-3 record and 6-1 in the WCC, claimed a pair of wins last weekend sweeping LMU 3-0 before defeating then No. 15 Pepperdine 3-2 at home. USD is on a four-match winning streak and suffered its only conference loss at San Francisco on Oct. 11.
Defensively, USD is led by the front line trio of Amy Mahinalani DeGroot, Ashton Basch and Torey Ellick. Ellick leads in blocks with 41, DeGroot and Basch have 34 apiece. USD dig leader Andrea Csaszi has 271 total digs (4.23/set), is third best in the WCC. Offensively, DeGroot also leads the team posting a team high 266 kills (4.26/set). Jessica Nyrop orchestrates the Torero attack from the setter position, dishing out 11.12/set which is good for second in the WCC (667 assists total).
Head coach Jennifer Petrie is in her tenth season with the Toreros who went 21-8 last fall, taking the WCC Championship. 11 letterwinners and four starters returned this season. USD leads the all-time series with Portland 36-7. Earlier this season on Oct. 4, 2008, the two teams met in San Diego and battled to a 3-1 result in USD’s favor.
Scouting San Francisco
The No. 22 Dons (17-4, 7-0 WCC) have gone undefeated in first half of conference play, earning them the top spot in the league standings as well as a national ranking (22nd) for the first time in five years. Most recently, the Dons defeated LMU 3-0 and then No. 15 Pepperdine 3-1 at home.
Sarah Mandala, last week’s WCC Player of the Week, leads the Dons’ attack connecting on 3.54 kills/set (283 total). Carly Babin has added 230 kills (2.95/set) and leads the team in blocks with 87, good enough for first in WCC. Haley Carroll has been potent on the serve leading her team in service aces with 37. Carroll also leads the Dons in digs with 375 total (4.69/set), landing her the top spot in the WCC for digs. Darcy Carroll is in the setter position and has dished out 655 assists this year at 8.51/set.
Head coach Gilad Doran is in his second season with the Dons, who went 17-13 overall last fall. Nine letterwinners and five starters returned this season. USF leads the all-time series with Portland 28-20. The last meeting between the two teams was earlier this season on Oct. 2, 2008, and saw USF win 3-0 in San Francisco, Calif.
Flashback for Coach Sherburne
Portland assistant coach Lindsey Sherburne will be on the flip side on Thursday as Portland take on her alma mater, the San Diego Toreros. Sherburne, who is in her second year on the Portland coaching staff, is a former Torero All-American and the all-time assist leader in West Coast Conference history.
Pilots to “Dig for the Cure”
Portland’s match against San Diego on Thursday is in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Fans can pledge money per dig by the Pilots or make a flat donation. Pilots will wear pink warm-ups and fans are encouraged to show their support by wearing pink as well!
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 266 kills at a pace of 3.24 kills/set. Grayson has also put up 38 total blocks so far, five of those solo.
Sheedy, Grayson’s counterpart in the middle, has connected on 211 kills for 2.61/set and leads the team with 60 total blocks, that includes 14 solos.
Fox, an outsider hitter, continues to be consistent this season both offensively and defensively. She has an average of 1.53 kills/set (125 total), 1.43 digs per set (117 total), 23 total blocks and is second on the team in service aces with 17.
Junior setter Kaylyn Jones orchestrates the Pilot attack and has dishes 8.31 assists/set for a season total of 673.
NKOTB Add Fresh Boost
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 51, including 11 solos, and averages 0.71 blocks per set. Also an offensive threat, Plummer has consistently held the team high attacking percentage, which is currently at .273, by connecting on 119 kills in 278 swings for 1.65 kills/set.
Freshman libero Allix Strahon, who has consistently seen court time, is a significant help on defense with 1.78 digs per set and 114 total. Strahon played as reserve setter last week against CS Bakersfield and finished with a career high 32 assists to help the Pilots to a win 3-1.
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, a 6-0 outside hitter from Vancouver, Wash.
The Career Charts
Senior Jennifer Sheedy recently broke into the all-time top-ten list in career kills, and currently sits in the 10th position with 963 career kills and a 5th-ranked career hitting percentage of .261. Sheedy is eighth on the block assists list with 204 and moved up to eighth this week on the career total blocks list with 262.
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 220 and she is seventh in total blocks with 265.
Sophomore Danielle Dupar is ranked fifth on the career digs per set list with 3.16 average.
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 two categories, in service aces (27) and total digs (221) and has recorded a team high nine double-doubles. 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.
