The Pilots are home for the second weekend of WCC match-ups, at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore. On Thursday Oct. 9, Portland faces the No. 20 Santa Clara Broncos at 7:00 p.m., followed by a match against the Saint Mary Gaels on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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 opened WCC play with a 0-2 result on the road, with matches against the San Francisco Dons and the defending WCC champions and 16th-ranked San Diego Toreros. The results bring Portland’s overall record to 5-12 (.294) and conference record to 0-2.
On Thursday evening, Portland suffered a hard fought 3-0 loss to the Dons, in a frustrating match that saw the Pilots unable to close a set, despite holding opportunistic leads along the way.
On Saturday afternoon, Portland pushed the No. 16 San Diego to four sets on the Torero home court in San Diego, Calif. The Pilots battled hard during the 3-1 defeat, and held the lead early in three of the four sets, claiming the first, but the defending WCC champion Toreros were ultimately too strong.
Scouting Santa Clara
The No. 20 Broncos (10-3) went undefeated last weekend with a 3-2 barn burner against the previously unbeaten, then ranked-No. 15 Pepperdine and a 3-1 win against LMU.
The Broncos are led by redshirt senior Anna Cmaylo who was awarded the WCC Player of the Week, her second this season. Cmaylo has been strong above the net with 53 blocks (1.10 per set) this season. Senior Brittany Lowe has a team-best 3.57 kills per set and has also helped out on defense, recently passing the 1,000 career digs mark, to add to her 1,276 career kills. Bronco junior setter Lindsy Davigeadono averages 10.98 assists per set.
Head coach Jon Wallace is in his ninth season with the Broncos who went 19-12 last fall, and 11-3 in WCC play. 10 letterwinners and five starters returned this season. The Broncos lead the all-time series between the two teams 38-6. The Pilots will be looking to beat the Broncos for the first time since 1994. In the last meeting between the two teams, Santa Clara came out on top with a 3-0 win in Portland, Ore.
Scouting Saint Mary’s
The Gaels, who finished preseason with a 10-3 record, opened WCC play by splitting the weekend 1-1 at home in the McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary went the distance with No. 15 Pepperdine but fell 3-2, and defeated Loyola Marymount 3-1.
Megan York leads the Saint Mary Gaels on both sides of the net with 11 double-doubles, 4.13 kills per game and 3.50 digs per game at this point in the season. Megan Burton leads the team in hitting percentage with .401. Defensively, Kelly Huston and Alita Fisher are both key players and Shannon Lowell leads the team in blocks with 56. The Gael offense is guided by setter Kapua Kamana’o, who currently ranks first in the WCC in assists per set (and fifth in NCAA Div. I) with a 11.76 assist average. Kamana’o also leads the team in service aces with 14.
Head coach Rob Browning is in his fourth season with the Gaels who went 15-3 overall last season, and 6-8 in WCC play. 12 letterwinners and seven starters (including the libero) returned this fall. In their last 10 matches, the Pilots have a 1-9 record against the Gaels. In the last meeting between the two teams, Saint Mary’s won 3-1 in Portland, Ore.
Pilots among WCC Leaders
Jessica Clemens, a sophomore outside hitter, is currently number two in the WCC in service aces, with 22 of the team’s 74. Jessica Clemens also has the conference match high with 10 service aces against South Florida.
Ashley Grayson, a senior middle blocker, is currently seventh in the WCC in total kills with 176.
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 176 kills (2.89 kills per set). Grayson has also put up 30 total blocks so far, four of those solo.
Sheedy, Grayson’s counterpart in the middle, connecting on 168 kills for 2.71 per set and leads the team with 39 total blocks, that includes nine solos.
Fox, an outsider hitter, continues to be consistent this season both offensively and defensively. She has an average of 1.64 kills per set (100 total), 1.56 digs per set (95 total), 18 total blocks and
is second on the team in service aces with 16.
NKOTB Break Out
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 37, eight of which are solos, and leads the team in blocks per set with 0.73. Also shouldering some of the attack, Plummer has consistently held the team high attacking percentage, which is now at .300, connecting on 94 kills on 207 swings (1.84 kills per set).
Freshman libero Allix Strahon, who has consistently seen court time, is a significant help on defense with 2.08 digs per set and 102 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.
The Career Charts
Four-year starters Ashley Grayson and Jennifer Sheedy have both landed on UP’s all-time career charts. Sheedy ranks fifth on the all-time attack percentage chart with a mark of .260 and is now just 7 kills from cracking the top-ten list in that category. Sheedy is ninth on the block assists list with 188 and she is tied for ninth on the career total blocks list with 241.
Grayson is fifth on the career block assists list with 213 and she is tied for seventh in total blocks with 257.
Danielle Dupar is ranked fifth on the career digs per set list with 3.11.
The Clemenses
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 (2.51) and total digs (148). 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.
Elsewhere in the WCC
In other conference play on Thursday, October 9, Saint Mary’s plays at Gonzaga. On Saturday, October 11, No. 20 Santa Clara plays at Gonzaga, No. 15 San Diego at San Francisco, and No. 17 Pepperdine plays at LMU.
