Eugene - The University of Portland women's volleyball lost a heartbreaker to the University of Oregon, 3-1 (30-28, 35-33, 27-30, 30-27) on Mon., Sept. 30 at McArthur Court in Eugene, OR. Portland moves to 10-4 overall, 0-0 in the WCC. Oregon improves to 10-8 on the season, 0-4 in Pac-10 play.

The Pilots started out a bit tentative and lost the first game 30-28. In game two, Portland battled back from a 29-27 deficit and tied the match at 29-29, but the Ducks took game two, 35-33. Portland out-hit Oregon, .441 to .361 in game three and won 30-27, but game four went the Duck’s way (30-27) for the win.

For the Pilots, sophomore Michelle Oakland tallied a career-high 12 kills for a season-high .526 hitting percentage and a career-high nine total blocks. Freshman Lauren Karpstein notched 11 kills and 10 digs, while Sara Vercruyssen totaled 10 kills and 10 digs. Sheena Surplus posted seven kills and hit for .429 on the night. Surplus racked up 47 assists and seven digs, while Carlie Price tallied 18 digs. Ali Boaz notched two service aces and nine digs on the might. As a team Portland posted a .200 hitting percentage and 12.0 total team blocks.

Oregon’s Lindsay Closs racked up 17 kills in he match. Kelly Russell tallied 16 kills for a .321 hitting percentage , while Dariam Acevedo notched 15 kills and hit for .324. Heather Gilmore totaled 13 kills and 13 digs. Jodi Bell posted 36 assists and nine digs in the match. The Ducks hit for .220 and added 11.0 total team blocks in the match.

“Oregon took us out of system and I give them all the credit tonight, said Head Coach Doug Sparks. “I was proud of the way our kids battled, but the bottom line is that Oregon made the plays when it counted. Michelle (Oakland) did a nice job and posted some huge numbers for us tonight."

UP NEXT: The Pilots open WCC play on Fri., Oct. 4, facing the Loyola Marymount Lions at 7:00 p.m. in Los Angeles, Calif. On Sat., Oct. 5, Portland takes on Pepperdine in a WCC contest at 7:00 p.m. in Malibu, CA. The Pilots will face in-state rival Portland State on Tues., Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the Stott Center in Portland, OR. Portland is back in action at home on Fri., Oct. 11 vs. the San Francisco Lady Dons at 7:00 p.m. On Sat., Oct. 12, Portland takes on the Santa Clara Broncos at 7:00 p.m. in Portland, OR. UP hits the road on Fri., Oct. 18, meeting San Diego at 7:00 p.m. in San Diego, CA. On Sat., Oct. 19, Portland travels to Moraga, CA, facing Saint Mary’s College at 7:00 p.m. The Pilots face Gonzaga on Sat., Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Spokane, WA. On Fri., Nov. 1, Portland is back at home matching-up with Pepperdine at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center. The Pilots take on Loyola Marymount on Sat., Nov. 2 in Portland, OR at 7:00 p.m. Portland hits the road on Fri., Nov. 8, facing Santa Clara at 7:00 p.m. in Santa, Clara, CA. On Sat., Nov. 9, the Pilots will match-up with San Francisco at 7:00 p.m. in San Francisco, CA. Portland will host Saint Mary’s College on Fri., Sept. 15 and San Diego on Sat., Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center in Portland, OR. The Pilots wrap-up WCC play at home on Sat., Nov. 23 with a single-match vs. Gonzaga at 7:00 p.m. On Tues., Nov. 26, Portland hosts in-state rival Oregon State at 5:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center.