Thursday • Nov. 13, 2008 • 7:00 p.m.
Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center – 4,852)
Live Stats: portlandpilots.com
Series: PEPP leads 41-2
Last Meeting: PEPP 3, UP 2 (Oct. 18, 2008 – Malibu, Calif.)
Pilots (6-21, 0-11 WCC) vs LMU (12-12, 2-8 WCC)
Saturday • Nov. 15, 2008 • 1:00 p.m.
Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center – 4,852)
Live Stats: portlandpilots.com
Series: LMU leads 36-8
Last Meeting: LMU 3, UP 0 (Oct. 16, 2008 – Los Angeles, Calif.)
This Week in Pilots Volleyball...
The Portland Pilots are set to play two final home matches this weekend. On Thursday Nov. 13 Portland hosts No. 24 Pepperdine at 7:00 p.m. before taking on Loyola Marymount on Saturday Nov. 15 at 1:00 p.m. Both matches are played 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 University of Portland Pilots women’s volleyball team, who sit at 6-21 overall and 0-11 for eighth place in the WCC, are coming off a California road trip last weekend with two defeats.
On Thursday Nov. 6, Portland fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-13) to a hard-hitting Saint Mary’s squad. Jessica Clemens had the match high in digs with 14. On Saturday Nov. 8, the then No. 22 Santa Clara Broncos defeated Portland 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-18). Danielle Dupar led both teams in digs with nine.
Scouting Pepperdine
The No. 24 Waves, who sit at 17-5, 5-5 and fifth in the WCC, are fresh off a 3-0 win against LMU on Nov. 6. In their lone match of the weekend, the Waves snapped a four-match losing streak with scores of 25-13, 25-21, 25-13. Against ranked opponents this year PEPP has a 1-4 record. The Waves defeated No. 17 Colorado State 3-1 but fell to No. 17 San Diego and suffered two defeats against No. 23 Santa Clara.
Julie Rubenstein paces the Waves’ attack with 4.30 kills/set and a total of 348 this season. Rubenstein also has 2.42 digs/set and 41 blocks so far. On defense, the Waves look to Stevi Robinson who has 4.73 digs/set and 350 total. The setting position is shared by Kiah Fiers and Kealohilani who have sent up 566 assists (10.29 per set) and 325 assists (10.16 per set) respectively. Kim Hill is the leading blocker with 83 total and 1.02/set.
Head coach Nina Matthies is in her 26th season at Pepperdine 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 41-2 and have an 10-0 advantage in the last 10 matches against the Pilots.
In their last meeting, the two teams played a five-set barnburner but it was Pepperdine who came away with the 3-2 win in Malibu, Calif. on Oct. 18, 2008. The Waves had five players in double-digits in kills but it was Grayson who had the match high with 21. Pepperdine’s Robinson led both teams in digs with 28.
Scouting LMU
The Lions (12-12, 2-8, sixth in the WCC) played just one match last weekend suffering a 3-0 defeat to PEPP in Malibu, Calif. LMU is looking to snap a five-match losing streak that began after their last win on Oct. 18 against Gonzaga.
Emily Day leads the team with 4.24 kills/set (365 total), 2.88 digs/set (248 total) and 24 service aces. Renee Horton occupies the setter position dishing out 9.32 assists/set and 783 total this season. Becky Stehling is the team leader in blocks with 60, of which 20 are block solos.
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 36-8. UP has a 9-1 record in the last 10 matches against LMU.
In the last meeting between the two teams on Oct. 16, the Lions won 3-0 in Los Angeles, Calif. Portland’s Ashley Grayson posted the match high of 19 kills while Danielle Dupar had the match high in digs with 12.
Trio of Seniors
In their final year on the Bluff, Portland Pilot seniors, K.C. Fox, Ashley Grayson and Jennifer Sheedy are all playing pivotal roles this season. Grayson, a middle blocker who can play multiple positions, is leading the team with 306 kills at a pace of 3.26 kills/set. Grayson has also put up 41 total blocks, five of those solo.
Sheedy, Grayson’s counterpart in the middle, has connected on 225 kills for 2.37/set and leads the team with 64 total blocks, that includes 15 solos.
Fox, an outsider hitter, is a consistent force this season both offensively and defensively. Fox is averaging 1.57 kills/set (148 total) and 1.33 digs per set (125 total), has 28 total blocks and is second on the team in service aces with 18.
Another veteran, junior setter Kaylyn Jones orchestrates the Pilot attack and has dished out 8.08 assists/set for a season total of 727.
Goodbyes Aren’t the End
The graduation of Portland’s four seniors will mark their entry into the UP alumni family but not before playing their final home appearance in the Chiles Center on Saturday Nov. 15. K.C. Fox, Ashley Grayson, Jennifer Sheedy and Betsy Grasham will all be honored in a pre-match celebration prior to Portland’s 1:00 p.m. match with LMU.
Grasham, who played three seasons for the Pilots, has appeared in 18 career matches. After battling an unfortunate series of injuries her role transformed from a position on the court to a position on staff as the Assistant to the Director of Volleyball Operations.
Fox, an outsider hitter from Santa Cruz, Calif., has started all 27 matches this season and has appeared in 86 career matches.
A middle blocker from Vancouver, Wash., Grayson has posted 980 kills in 109 career matches. She has 268 total career blocks, 46 of which are solo, for an average of 0.73/set.
Sheedy, a middle blocker from Vadnais Heights, Minn., has appeared in 109 matches connecting on 977 career kills. Her 266 total career blocks, 59 of which are solo, average out at 0.71 per set.
NKOTB Deets
The Pilot newcomers have quickly integrated the team, and their contributions are being felt all over the court. The 6-2 freshman middle blocker Marissa Plummer is second on the team in total blocks with 60, including 12 solos, and averages 0.71 blocks per set. Also an offensive threat, Plummer has consistently been the team leader in attacking percentage and is currently second on the team at .244. Plummer has connected on 130 kills in 320 swings for 1.55 kills/set.
Freshman libero Allix Strahon, who has consistently seen court time, is a significant help on defense with 1.71 digs/set and 118 total. More recently, Strahon has been playing as reserve setter and posted a career high 32 assists as the Pilots edged CS Bakersfield 3-1 on Oct. 27.
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.
Fleming and junior transfer Jessica Baty are utilizing their redshirt year in 2008.
The Career Charts
Two Pilot seniors continue to scale the career charts as the season progresses. Senior Jennifer Sheedy broke into the all-time top-ten list this season in career kills, and currently sits at the 10th position with 977 career kills. Sheedy also posts a 5th-ranked career hitting percentage of .258. Sheedy is eighth on the block assists list with 207 and is eighth on the career total blocks list with 266.
Joining Sheedy on UP’s all-time career charts is four-year starter Ashley Grayson. Grayson recently broke into the top-ten list in career kills with 980, putting her in ninth position. Grayson is fifth on the career block assists list with 222 and she is seventh in total blocks with 268.
Sophomore Danielle Dupar is ranked fifth on the career digs/set list with a 3.13 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 (28) and total digs (257) and has recorded a team high ten 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.
