SPOKANE, Wash. --- Senior libero Danielle Dupar set a new single-season school record for digs as the Portland Pilots concluded the 2010 season with a four set victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-14, 16-25, 25-17, 25-17). Sophomore Ariel Usher led three Pilots in double-digit kills with a game-high 14.

 

Portland (12-18, 5-9 WCC) capitalized on opportunities in the middle of the third and fourth sets to embark on lengthy runs, enabling the Pilots to build comfortable leads en route to securing the sets. Up 13-11 in the third set, Portland went on a 10-2 run capped off by a Madison Smith kill.

 

Gonzaga (4-27, 1-13 WCC) tied the fourth set at 12 with a kill from Kelsey Bashaw. Junior Kati Hronek sparked the Pilots run with a kill as Usher would contribute three kills in another 10-2 run.

 

The Bulldogs were led by Caitlin Cozad and Terran Poindexter, who both contributed nine kills. Schylur Edelman added seven blocks on six kills for the Bulldogs.

 

Usher (14), Hronek (12), and junior Marissa Plummer (10) each finished in double figures for kills for Portland. Plummer also added six blocks for the Pilots. Freshman Monica Jordan posted 10 digs as well. Sophomore Madison Smith narrowly missed another double-double, recorded 44 assists and seven digs. She also added four digs.

 

Dupar, the lone senior on the Pilots’ roster, recorded 16 digs in her final game in a Portland uniform. She finishes the season with 560 digs, passing Carlie Price’s old record of 559 set in 2002 and smashing her previous career-high of 365 set last season. Dupar also finished this year with 5.44 digs per set, nearly half a dig higher than the previous school record set by Murphy McClenahan in 2005. Her 1,564 career digs rank fourth in school history.

 

Portland finishes with 12 wins in a season for the first time since 2004 while the four road victories matches the program’s total from 2005 to 2009. The last time the Pilots had finished the season with four road victories was 1997.

 

The Pilots won five WCC matches for the first time since 1998. Portland swept the season series against Gonzaga with the victory. Combined with the season sweep of San Francisco, the Pilots swept two WCC opponents for the first time since 1998 when they swept Saint Mary’s and San Francisco.