Box Score Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. – Senior Portland outside hitter Maria Clemens recorded a team high 13 kills and freshman outside hitter Kate Bostwick registered seven kills on .583 hitting as the Pilots fell 3-1 (26-28, 25-18, 25-14, 25-21) to 22nd-ranked San Diego in the Chiles Center Saturday afternoon.
The Pilots (5-17, 1-6 WCC) recorded a .220 attacking percentage – their sixth-best offensive efficiency mark of the season - in the match and tied their opponent in blocks with 7.0. San Diego narrowly out-dug Portland 51-47 and held a 68-47 advantage in kills.
Maria Clemens finished the match with eight digs and three blocks in addition to her 13 kills. Bostwick’s seven kills came on 12 swings with no errors for a .583 efficiency to complement her two service aces. She also added three digs.
Portland senior Shelley Sievers posted a match-high four blocks including one solo stuff, marking her 10th match this season with four of more blocks. She also contributed six kills on .286 hitting.
Senior Kaylyn Jones and freshman Madison Smith shared duty at the setter position charting 20 assists each.
Junior Danielle Dupar anchored the defense with a team-high 10 digs, while sophomore Marissa Plummer chipped in seven kills and also three blocks and three digs.
Tied at 11-11 in the first set, Portland moved ahead off a service ace from a Jessica Clemens signature jump serve. But the score was even again by 17-17 and then at every digit up to 24-24. Maria Clemens was the key momentum builder posting six kills as the Pilots ramped up to steal the opening set from the nationally ranked Toreros. Portland had to fend off three USD set points until a block solo from Sievers would put UP ahead at 27-26. Jessica Clemens sent over an authoritative kill from a Jones assist to seal the victory.
Portland kept the momentum going to open the second frame with an early 3-1 lead before USD ran off four consecutive points to go up 5-3. UP inched back to within one point at 6-5 but the Toreros replied with a six-point streak interrupted only by a Bostwick kill, nailing her first attempt of the match. With the score at 12-6 in USD’s favor, the Torero’s pushed on to notch three straight points, forcing a UP timeout at 15-6. The Pilots bounced out of the T.O. with a three-point streak of their own that included a Rachel Femling kill and a Jones service ace. But the Torero’s were relentless and sped away to a 25-18 set win.
San Diego began the third set with a quick 6-1 lead. Portland capitalized on several errors by the Toreros combined with two Maria Clemens kills and one from Plummer to eventually gain the lead at 9-8. With the score all knotted up at 11-11, the Toreros benefited from a 9-2 run powered by serving from Ali Troost and claimed the set at 25-14.
After a slow start exchanging points all the way up to 6-6, Portland’s Kati Hronek sent over a kill that combined with a USD error to put the Pilots ahead at 8-6 in the fourth set. From there, USD launched a five-point run to gain the 11-8 advantage spurring UP head coach Joe Houck to gather his team in a timeout. Bostwick recorded a kill and then a service ace out of the break to cut the USD lead to one point at 11-10. The Pilots tied it up at 12-12 off an Ariel Usher kill and moved into the lead at 15-14 thanks to a block from Maria Clemens and Plummer. But the Toreros lit up on a 6-1 run sparked again by solid serving from Troost to put them ahead at 20-16. A Plummer kill would tighten the USD lead to three-points at 20-17 but USD would not let up and sat comfortably at 24-19. UP managed to fend off two match points courtesy of another kill-then-service-ace-combo from Bostwick before USD would finish the Pilots off for good at 25-21.
San Diego (14-4, 6-1 WCC) was led by three players who posted double digits in kills with 20 from Troost, 18 from Torey Ellick and 10 from Carrie Baird. Setter Kelsi Myers had a match-high 51 assists, while Kayleen Webster had a match-high 16 digs.
The UP-USD match was a "Dig for the Cure" event in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Portland next squares up against conference opponent Gonzaga on Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Chiles Center. First serve for their lone match of the weekend is set for 1:00 p.m.
