Pilots (6-21, 2-10) at San Diego (16-7, 8-4)
7:00 p.m. – San Diego, Calif. (Jenny Craig Pavilion)
Series: USD leads 38-7
Last meeting: Oct. 24, 2009: USD 3, POR 1 (Portland, Ore.)
Last season: 0-2: @POR 0, USD 3; @USD 3, POR 1
Live stats/audio/video: usdtoreros.cstv.com
Saturday, Nov. 21
Pilots (6-21, 2-10) at No. 22 Saint Mary’s (19-4, 11-1)
1:00 p.m. – Moraga, Calif. (McKeon Pavilion)
Series: SMC leads 28-20
Last meeting: Oct 22, 2009: SMC 3, POR 1
(Portland, Ore.)
Last season: 0-2: @POR 0, SMC 3; @SMC 3, POR 0
Live stats/audio/video: www.smcgaels.com
This Week in Pilots Volleyball...
The Portland Pilots play their final two matches of the year this weekend on the road in California against WCC opponents San Diego on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m. and Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:00 p.m.
Looking Back
Last Saturday (11/14), freshman Kate Bostwick stole the spotlight on Senior Day posting a match-high 12 kills on .500 hitting as the Pilots dismantled WCC opponent Santa Clara 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) at the Chiles Center. Senior Maria Clemens helped lead the way with 10 kills and 10 digs for her third double-double this season. Portland led in all categories as it went on to record its first win against the Broncos since 1994 and its first sweep against a WCC opponent since 2006. The Pilots dominated the blocking battle 12.0-4.0 and out-dug their opponents 38-34, while hitting .312 for the match to Santa Clara’s .162. In addition to her 12 kills, Bostwick also added three service aces, three blocks and three digs. Maria Clemens also put up three blocks to complement her 10 kills and 10 digs.
Three Pilot players hit better than .300 in the match and Portland committed just 14 errors. Freshman Ariel Usher recorded nine kills on 19 swings for a .368 hitting efficiency, while redshirt freshman Rachel Femling tallied five kills on a .364 hitting efficiency to complement four blocks.
Sophomore Marissa Plummer had a match-high eight blocks marking the 11th match this season she has posted four blocks or more.
Junior Danielle Dupar came up with a match-high 12 digs and now has 977 career digs, good enough for 10th all-time at UP. Senior setter Kaylyn Jones, playing in her final home match of her career along with seniors Maria Clemens and Shelley Sievers, dished out 17 assists. She also got behind seven digs. Freshman Madison Smith dished out 18 assists for the team-high.
Meanwhile on Thursday, San Francisco overcame a 5-1 Portland lead in the fifth set to defeat the Pilots in an exciting barn-burner also at the Chiles Center. The Dons won by scores of 25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 25-20 and 15-13. With a match-high 25 dig performance, Dupar has the tenth most career digs ever recorded by a Pilot bringing her total to 965 digs. She currently sits at fourth all-time in digs per set with 3.40. Dupar also sent over two service aces against the Dons. Four Pilots recorded double digits in kills with Maria Clemens leading the way with 18. She also had nine digs, nearly collecting the double-double, and one block.
Bostwick reached double-digits in kills for the first time in her young collegiate career with 13, setting a new career high smashing her previous record of eight kills (vs. American, 9/3). Bostwick also added three blocks, six digs and a service ace.
Usher’s 15 kills on .353 hitting marks the fourth consecutive match she’s turned out double digits. Her match-high seven blocks set a new career high and also marks the 10th match this season that she has registered four blocks or more.
Sievers turned out 11 kills and also had six blocks. Meanwhile, Plummer had six blocks and added seven kills to help out the attack.
Jones dished out a match-high 40 assists, while Smith contributed 19.
Scouting San Diego
The Toreros lost their pivotal match against Saint Mary’s last week in a five set thriller. Torey Ellick and Ali Troost paced the offense with 17 kills a piece. Ellick hit .464 while Troost added nine digs. Ellick ranks 20th nationally with a .376 hitting percentage, while Troost is third in the conference with 333 kills on the season. Kelsi Myers posted a double-double with 54 assists and 10 digs. It was her 10th match of the season with 50+ assists and she ranks sixth in the country with 12.00 aps. Kayleen Webster led the defense with 15 digs and is ranked fourth in the WCC with 4.27 dps.
Against ranked opponents, USD has gone 2-2 facing #2 Texas (L, 0-3), #18 UC Irvine (W, 3-2), #23 Long Beach State (W, 3-1) and #23 Saint Mary’s (L, 2-3).
Last season, the Toreros finished 23-5 (12-2, 1st WCC). 10 letterwinners and five starters return this fall.
Head coach Jennifer Petrie is in her 10th season at the helm of the USD program.
Pilots/Toreros Series
Pilots went 0-2 last season against the Toreros. USD owns a 38-7 advantage over UP in the all-time series. In their last meeting on Oct. 24, 2009, USD defeated UP 3-1 in Portland, Ore.
Scouting No. 22 Saint Mary’s
SMC captured the program’s first ever WCC Championship last Saturday defeating San Diego 3-2 (25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 17-25,15-10). Shannon Lowell, the current WCC Player of the Week, had 23 kills on .381 hitting, including four kills in the pivotal fifth set, one of which was the match-winner. Megan Burton finished with a season-high 14 kills on .600 hitting as well as eight total blocks. Alita Fisher collected a match-high 16 digs to pace the defense. She currently ranks
second in the league with 4.80 dps. The Gaels are 10-0 at home this season.
Last season, the Gaels finished 20-8 (10-4, 3rd WCC) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament but suffered a first-round loss to New Mexcio State. Eight letterwinners and six starters return this fall, as well as three newcomers.
Head coach Rob Browning is in his fifth season at the helm of the Saint Mary’s program.
Pilots/Gaels Series
Saint Mary’s has the 28-20 advantage over Portland in the all-time series. The Pilots went 0-2 last season against the Gaels. In their last meeting on Oct. 22, 2009, the Gaels defeated the Pilots 3-1 in Portland, Ore. In the last ten meetings, UP has gone 1-9 and posted its last win against SMC on Nov. 18, 2006 with a 3-2 result in the Chiles Center.
Sister Act
In 21 of 27 matches this season, it has been a Clemens sister (senior Maria or junior Jessica) who has led the Pilots offensively.
Climbing the Career Charts
Senior Kaylyn Jones entered the UP all-time top-10 career assists list sitting in the ninth spot with 1730 ahead of former Pilot Gina DeMatteis (1666 career assists).
Junior Danielle Dupar has broken into UP’s all-time record books with 977 career digs to move beyond former Pilot Bridget Beschen for a program tenth-best. Dupar also sits fourth all-time in digs per set with 3.40 in her career.
