COMING UP: The University of Portland volleyball team is back at home this weekend, taking on San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 8 and No. 19 ranked Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Oct. 9. Both matches are set to begin at 7:00 p.m.

A QUICK LOOK AT PORTLAND: Portland dropped both WCC matches on the road last week. San Diego swept Portland, 30-20, 30-24, 30-22 on Friday, Oct. 1, while then No. 13 ranked Santa Clara defeated the Pilots, 3-1 (30-27, 30-20, 31-33, 30-23) on Saturday, Oct. 2. Portland is currently 9-5 (.643) on the season and continues WCC play on a two-match losing skid.

Michelle Oakland continues her run in the national spotlight, ranking in at No. 22 this week with a .397 hitting percentage. This is the second-consecutive week that Oakland has made the national rankings.

Oakland was named the 2004 Nike Portland Invitational Tournament MVP, while Surplus garnered all-tourney honors. Surplus also became a member of the 2004 Holiday Inn Classic all-tourney team, while fellow teammate Liz Lord garnered Pittsburgh Invitational all-tourney honors.

So far this season, Portland has placed third in two tournaments (Pittsburgh Invitational and 10th annual Holiday Inn Classic, hosted by Montana State) and first in its own Nike Portland Invitational.

Possible starters for the Pilots in the match-up with San Francisco and Saint Mary’s are: Monique Kettler (Jr., MB), Sheena Surplus (Jr., S), Kelly Whitehouse (Fr., OH), Murphy McClenahan (So., L), Michelle Oakland (Sr., MB), Liz Lord (Jr., MB), Sara Vercruyssen (Jr., OH) and Nicole Thometz (Fr., OH).

The Pilots return five starters, 10 letterwinners and add five newcomers to this year’s roster. Last year, the Pilots finished the West Coast Conference regular-season in seventh place. Portland ended its season with an 11-18 (.379) overall record and a 1-13 (.071) conference mark.

The 2004 season marks the 25th year of Pilot volleyball on the Bluff. During that time, Pilot volleyball has seen six different coaches, been a member of the NAIA and the NCAA, and honored one All-American (NAIA) and several all-WCC selections.

Head coach Doug Sparks is just the sixth head coach in school history. Currently, Sparks has a 47-80 (.370) career overall record and a 9-48 (.158) career WCC record. He has the third-best winning percentage in school history and the third-best win percentage since volleyball became an NCAA Division I sport in 1986. He recorded his 40th career victory with a 3-0 (30-23, 30-20, 30-22) sweep of Dartmouth on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the 10th annual Holiday Inn Classic in Bozeman, Mont.

Portland returns one player selected to the 2003 all-West Coast Conference Volleyball Team. Sara Vercruyssen, for a second-consecutive year, was named an honorable mention all-WCC pick. Monique Kettler was named to the 2003 West Coast Conference Fall All-Academic team. Kettler and Sheena Surplus were named to the 2003 Magnolia Tournament all-tourney team. Two members of the Pilot squad were named to the 2003 Nike Portland Preview all-tourney team; Vercruyssen was an all-tourney selection, while teammate Michelle Oakland was the tournament MVP. Oakland was also named the 2003 Boise State Invitational Tournament MVP.

In a vote of the league’s eight head coaches, the Pilots are picked to finish in seventh-place in this year’s WCC race. Portland looks to rebound from a year ago with strong returning starters and 10 returning letterwinners. The Pilots are led by all-WCC performer Sara Vercruyssen and senior middle blocker Michelle Oakland.

PILOTS ON THE INTERNET: The University of Portland women’s volleyball team will have live stats via the internet for all home matches. Check out the Pilot matches at: http://www.portlandpilots.com/livestats/wvball/xlive.htm.

QUOTING SPARKS: “The WCC is tough and that is what the first weekend of play showed. We played well against Santa Clara, but I didn’t feel like we gave our best effort in the San Diego match. If we play well this weekend, we have a chance to win, if we play hard we’ll have a chance to win, if we don’t, we won’t win. We’ve got to play well, but I think that goes for every team in the conference too. In this conference, the team that plays better on that night is going to win the match. That’s a sign of a good conference and that is where the WCC is right now. ”

SERIES SHORTS: Portland leads the series with San Francisco, 20-19. Portland lost in four games (30-18, 28-30, 30-17, 30-25) in their last meeting on Nov. 7, 2003, at the Chiles Center. The Pilots are 9-14 at home, 11-5 away and 0-0 at a neutral site vs. San Francisco. The last time Portland defeated the Dons on the road was with a 3-0 (15-9, 15-4, 15-10) victory on Oct. 2, 1998. Portland leads the series with Saint Mary’s, 19-18. In their last meeting on Nov. 7, 2003, the Pilots lost in three games (31-29, 30-17, 30-27) to the Gaels at home. Portland is 11-6 at home, 8-12 away and 0-0 at a neutral site vs. Saint Mary’s. The last time the Pilots defeated the Gaels on the road was with a 3-1 (15-5, 15-11, 11-15, 15-11) win on Nov. 21, 1998.

SCOUTING SAN FRANCISCO: The University of San Francisco volleyball team is currently 7-11 overall, 0-2 in WCC play. USF returns one starter, six letterwinners and adds nine newcomers to its roster in 2004. Last week, USF dropped both WCC matches at home, 3-0 (30-26, 30-20, 30-23) to Pepperdine and 3-1 (30-28, 21-30, 30-23, 30-21) to Loyola Marymount.

Jeff Nelson enters his second season with the Dons after leading USF to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season. He has a 189-104 career record in 10 years.

Theresa Hart leads the team, averaging 3.77 kills per game and 3.04 digs per game. As a team, the Dons average 15.46 kills per game, 14.11 assists per game, 16.40 digs per game and hits for .199 so far this season.

SCOUTING NO. 19 RANKED SAINT MARY’S: The No. 19 ranked Saint Mary’s volleyball team is currently 13-1 overall, 2-0 in WCC action. The Gaels entered this week’s USA Today/CSTV Top-25 poll at No. 19 after knocking off Loyola Marymount, 3-1 (22-30, 30-28, 30-21, 30-23) and Pepperdine in four games, 30-27, 28-30, 30-17, 30-16, last weekend. The win over Pepperdine snapped the Waves’ 43-match WCC win streak. Earlier in the week, Saint Mary’s beat then-No. 11 Stanford for the second time this year, 3-1. The Gaels return nine letterwinners, five starters and adds three newcomers to its roster in 2004.

Sophomore setter Mandy Bible was named WCC Player of the Week and Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. Bible is the first SMC player to earn National Player of the Week honors. As a team, the Gaels average 15.54 kills per game, 14.35 assists per game, 15.65 digs per game and hits for .224 so far this season.

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF PILOT VOLLEYBALL: Portland’s 25 year history dates back to 1979 when the Pilots went 19-25 (.432) overall and setter/hitter Maureen Clifford was named the team’s MVP. Portland has come a long way since then, becoming a member of the NCAA in 1986 and a member of the West Coast Conference in 1987. The volleyball program has seen six different coaches at the net, from the days of former coach Moe O’Connor to present day’s Doug Sparks. In a span of 25 years, the Portland volleyball program has compiled a 376-466 (.516) overall record.

2004 WCC STATISTICAL LEADERS: As a team, Portland is currently second in the WCC in digs (17.38), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.200), hitting percentage (.233), and fifth in assists (14.15). The Pilots are sixth in match won-loss percentage (.643), seventh in service aces (1.22) and kills (15.29) and eighth in blocks (1.65).

Individually, six players currently rank among the top 20 in the WCC statistical leaders. Michelle Oakland is second in hitting percentage (.397), 11th in points (3.91) and 12th in kills (3.93), while Sheena Surplus is second in assists (12.65). Sara Vercruyssen is fourth in kills (3.93), seventh in points (4.19) and 11th in digs (3.21). Murphy McClenahan is second in digs (4.65) and Liz Lord is 13th in hitting percentage (.268) and 14th in service aces (0.29). Monique Kettler is 15th in blocks (0.85).

2004 NCAA STATISTICAL LEADERS: Michelle Oakland continues her run in the national spotlight, ranking in at No. 22 this week with a .397 hitting percentage. This is the second-consecutive week that Oakland has made the national rankings.

AROUND THE WCC: Oct. 2 - All eight West Coast Conference women’s volleyball teams wrapped up the first weekend of conference play by taking the court Saturday night. The evening was highlighted by the Saint Mary’s Gaels’ 3-1 win over Pepperdine. The win snapped the Waves’ WCC record 43-match winning streak, and was SMC’s first over Pepperdine since the 1994 season. In other WCC action, LMU defeated San Francisco, 3-1, while San Diego swept Gonzaga, 3-0, and Santa Clara downed Portland, 3-1.

Oct. 1 -WCC women’s volleyball conference play began Friday night as all eight teams hit the court. San Diego hosted Portland, Saint Mary’s hosted Loyola Marymount, San Francisco hosted Pepperdine and Santa Clara hosted Gonzaga. Three of the four home teams came away with victories as San Diego swept Portland 3-0, Saint Mary’s beat Loyola Marymount 3-1, and Santa Clara outlasted Gonzaga 3-2. San Francisco fell at home to Pepperdine 3-0. WCC action continues Saturday night as San Diego takes on Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s takes on Pepperdine, San Francisco takes on Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara takes on Portland.

WCC IN THE TOP 25 POLL: Two West Coast Conference schools are currently ranked in the Oct. 4 USA Today/ CSTV Division I Top 25 Coaches’ Poll with one other school receiving votes. Santa Clara leads the way coming in ranked 12th, followed by Saint Mary’s at No. 19. San Diego ranked just outside the top 25 with 11 votes.

VERCRUYSSEN’S RETURN: Two-time honorable mention all-WCC selection Sara Vercruyssen (2002, 2003) returns after rehabilitating an ACL injury that happened near the end of the 2003 season. Vercruyssen’s stat line provides the Pilots with the needed consistency to play in one of the top five conferences in the USA. For her career, Vercruyssen has posted 804 kills, 595 digs, 48 service aces, 90 total blocks and a .204 hitting percentage, while tallying career bests of 29 kills and 23 digs (vs. Gonzaga, 10-25-03). Vercruyssen is already off to a good start in 2004 after recording double-figure kills in all but four matches, while posting six double-doubles thus far.

SIMPLY MARVELOUS, MICHELLE: Senior Michelle Oakland went down with an ACL injury just before the WCC portion of the 2003 season began. Prior to her injury, Oakland was named the 2003 Boise State Invitational Tournament MVP, the 2003 Nike Portland Preview Tournament MVP and her impressive numbers led the WCC in several statistical categories. After a remarkable spring, Oakland is back and picking up where she left off last season.

In 2003, she posted 3.35 kills per game, 0.87 digs per game, 1.04 blocks per game and 4.14 points per game. Oakland landed double-figure kills in eight out of 13 matches played, including a career-best 19 kills and career-high six block assists vs. Bowling Green State on Aug. 30.

Currently, Oakland continues her run in the national spotlight, ranking in at No. 22 this week with a .397 hitting percentage. This is the second-consecutive week that Oakland has made the national rankings. Her .397 hitting percentage currently ranks her second in the WCC, as she is also 11th in points (3.91) and 12th in kills (3.93). Oakland is currently second on the team in blocks (0.77) and was named the Nike Portland Invitational MVP earlier this season.

SURPLUS SETTING IT UP: For the past two seasons, Sheena Surplus has been setting up the plays and anchoring the Pilot offensive at the setter position. Surplus has already made her mark on Portland’s all-time career leaders list in assists with 2,978. She is currently No. 4 all-time and will only move up with two seasons left. She ranked seventh in the WCC in assists (11.46 per game) last season and currently ranks in at No. 2 on the assist charts (12.65).

GREAT WALL OF PILOTS: Portland returns its top three blockers from last year’s team in senior Michelle Oakland and juniors Monique Kettler and Liz Lord. The trio has become a formidable blocking presence, while adding versatility to the Pilots’ attack. Oakland’s blocking numbers were up to 1.04 per game before her injury last season, while Kettler posted 0.73 blocks per game and Lord averaged 0.66 blocks per game.

This season the trio account for 77 percent of Portland’s total blocks. Kettler leads the team, averaging 0.85 blocks per game, Oakland is second with 0.77 blocks per game, while Lord tallies 0.27 blocks per game.

PILOTS AT 2004 TOURNAMENTS: So far this season, the University of Portland volleyball team has placed third in two tournaments (Pittsburgh Invitational and 10th annual Holiday Inn Classic, hosted by Montana State) and first in its own Nike Portland Invitational.

Senior Michelle Oakland was named the 2004 Nike Portland Invitational Tournament MVP, while setter Sheena Surplus garnered all-tourney honors. Surplus also became a member of the 2004 Holiday Inn Classic all-tourney team, while fellow teammate Liz Lord garnered 2004 Pittsburgh Invitational all-tourney honors.

WCC PRESEASON POLL: The University of Portland women’s volleyball team was picked to finish seventh in the WCC in the league’s preseason poll, as selected by conference coaches. Pepperdine was chosen to claim the 2004 WCC women’s volleyball title, receiving five first place votes and 60 total points. Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount shared the second spot each compiling 50 total points with Santa Clara receiving two first place votes. San Diego, who is coming off of its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last eight years, was tabbed to finish fourth by the league coaches. Rounding out the poll are Saint Mary’s in fifth, San Francisco in sixth and Gonzaga in eighth.

WCC RPI IN TOP 5: The WCC finished the 2003 slate with a Top 5 RPI, coming in fourth out of 32 conferences. The WCC was just behind the Pac-10, who boasts reigning national champion USC, the Big Ten and the Big 12, but was ahead of powerhouse conferences like the ACC, the Big West, the Big East and the SEC. Portland posted an RPI of 204 last season.

PILOTS AMONG CAREER CHARTS: Junior Sheena Surplus has already made her way into the Pilot career books after compiling 2,978 assists thus far. Surplus is currently fourth all-time, and with two seasons left, could become the all-time leader. The current record of 4,187 assists is held by Annie Blackburn (1993-96). Monique Kettler is currently eighth in block assists (161) and ninth in total blocks (208). Sara Vercruyssen is quickly approaching the career leader list in kills. Currently Vercruyssen has 804 kills and needs just 46 more to hit the mark.

ITS ALL ABOUT POINTS: The University of Portland will be tracking individual points per game in 2004. Points are awarded based on the following formula: kills + aces + solo blocks + 1/2-assist blocks.

Portland has recorded 870.0 points thus far in 2004. On the year, Michelle Oakland leads the team with 187.5 points, followed by Sara Vercruyssen with 176.0, Monique Kettler with 136.5, Liz Lord with 125.5, Kelly Whitehouse with 108.5, Nicole Thometz with 80.5, Sheena Surplus with 39.5, Murphy McClenahan with 11.0, Dana LaGassa and with 4.0 and Laura Pappas with 1.0.

CALIFORNIA CONNECTION: Eight out of the 15 players on Portland’s 2004 squad are from California. Last season, exactly one half of the team hailed from “The Golden State” and produced over 55 percent of Portland’s kills, 56 percent in digs, 64 percent in total blocks and 57 percent in points.