PORTLAND, Ore. --- Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Femling tied a school record with 10 block assists while junior middle blocker Marissa Plummer posted a career-high 22 kills on a sizzling .500 attacking percentage as the Portland Pilots defeated the San Francisco Dons Saturday (21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 16-25, 15-11) afternoon in front of 273 at the Chiles Center. Junior outside hitter Kati Hronek added a career-high eight blocks as the Pilots recorded 30 block assists, the second highest mark in school history.

 

Portland (8-12, 1-3 WCC) capitalized off the crowd’s energy to jump out to a 6-1 lead in the fifth set, including three kills from Plummer. San Francisco (3-13, 1-3 WCC) responded quickly after a timeout to close the gap as Malina Terrell rallied the Dons with four kills over the span of six points to shrink the deficit to one at 7-6. The Pilots, playing in the fifth set for the fourth time this season, shut down the Dons’ rally with kills from sophomore Kate Bostwick and two crucial blocks from Hronek and Femling. Senior libero Danielle Dupar then finished off the match with her second service ace of the day.

 

“I just thought our middle blockers were outstanding today,” Portland head coach Joe Houck noted afterwards. “If they try defend us by stopping Kati, we can open up the net at other places and you can see others stepping up, like Rachel stuffing the net or Marissa finishing aggressively.”

 

Plummer posted eight of her kills in the third set, allowing Portland to take a 2-1 advantage in the set. The 6-2 junior from Granite Bay, Calif., also notched two aces and seven blocks for the Pilots. Plummer was not the only Pilot to enjoy a huge game, as sophomore setter Madison Smith notched 48 assists on six kills. Bostwick recorded eight kills for the Pilots and tied a season and career-high with 15 digs while freshman Christina Harris, stepping in for injured sophomore Ariel Usher, posted seven kills, five blocks, and 11 digs.

 

Femling also stepped up for the Pilots, recording 11 blocks in all with seven kills. The 10 block assists ties the record set by two other Pilots as Christy Martin accomplished the feat in 1988 before Beth Henson tied it 1993. With the aid of Femling and Hronek, Portland notched 30 block assists, one short of the school record set in the 1990 season finale against San Diego.

 

Dupar, the lone senior on the Pilots’ roster this season, recorded 12 digs in the first set to pass Kelly Parnell on the Pilots’ career digs list. She now ranks fourth on the list with 1,368 after finishing the match with 34. Dupar, ranked third in the nation in digs per set, has 364 this season, one short of her career-high set last season.

 

Terrell finished led the Dons with 21 kills while Joan Caloiaro posted a triple-double with 11 kills, 34 assists, and 10 digs for the Dons, which saw their 15 match winning streak against the Pilots end. Portland had not defeated the Dons since 2002.

 

Portland now embarks on another WCC road trip, taking on Loyola Marymount on Thursday at 7 PM before playing the Pepperdine Waves next Saturday at 1 PM. The Pilots then return home for their longest home stand of the season starting October 23 against Gonzaga.