Box Score Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. – Junior Jessica Clemens recorded a match-high 18 kills on .485 hitting with 13 digs to lead the Portland Pilots volleyball team to a 3-1 victory against the American University Eagles to open the Nike Invitational Thursday night at the Chiles Center. Portland notched its first home win of its 2009 campaign with scores of 25-27, 25-23, 25-15 and 25-22.
The Pilots improve to a 2-3 overall record, while American falls to 0-4.
Portland demonstrated a strong defensive effort, out-digging the Eagles 65-57 and out-blocking the Washington, D.C. team 10-5. American claimed the first set but the Pilots were able to respond by marching the next three straight sets to victory.
Jessica Clemens was one of two Pilots to tally double-figure kills on the night. Sophomore Marissa Plummer recorded 11 kills as well as three blocks total.
Freshman Kate Bostwick brought her season-best performance contributing eight kills, 13 digs and four service aces.
Defensively, senior Shelley Sievers put up seven blocks, while junior Danielle Dupar got behind 23 digs, both the match-highs.
Senior Kaylyn Jones and freshman Madison Smith each dished out 22 assists on the night.
The two teams battled evenly to begin the first set before American took a 10-6 and later an 18-14 advantage. Portland mounted a rally to tie it up at 18-18 courtesy of three block assists from Sievers and a kill by freshman Ariel Usher. The score was tied up another seven times before AU broke the gridlock to claim the set 27-25.
Portland jumped out to an early 10-5 lead in the second set before American came back to tie it up at 14-14. A Jessica Clemens kill and a block (with Sievers) and an AU attack error put the Pilots ahead by three points and they never looked back. After four set-points, Plummer closed out the 25-23 second-set victory with a kill off a Smith set.
It was more of the same in the third set with UP again leaping ahead to 10-5. American tightened the score to 13-11 before the Pilots surged ahead to win calmly at 25-15.
In the fourth set, AU held the Pilots to within reach until a score of 12-12 when a kill from Plummer and a service ace from Bostwick put UP in the lead for good. An AU comeback threatened Portland’s lead at 23-22 but Plummer hammered home one kill and Bostwick sent over a service ace to claim the match.
American was led by Angelina Waterman’s 16 kills and 17 digs. Magdalena Tekiel had 13 kills and Cassandra Ricketts registered 10. Krysta Cicala threw up 43 assists for the Eagles.
Up next at the Nike Invitational, American faces New Mexico on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7:00 p.m. Portland next returns to the court in a second meeting against American on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 1:00 p.m. before wrapping up the tournament that same day with a match against New Mexico at 7:00 p.m. All matches are played at the Chiles Center.
