Box Score Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Sophomore Kate Bostwick posted a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs on a .619 hitting percentage as the Portland Pilots defeated the Trinity Western Spartans 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-14, 27-25) Tuesday night at the Chiles Center. The win, which marks the end of Portland’s non-conference schedule, surpasses the team’s 2009 win total.
 
The Pilots (7-9) found open court with great accuracy, finishing with a season-high .425 as a team. Trinity Western (0-2), a Canadian college, hit .224 as a team but challenged the Pilots in the first and fourth sets.
 
“It was a tough match to play because of the pace that Trinity Western set,” Pilots head coach Joe Houck added after the match. “It is a great way to put an exclamation point on the preseason and now we are ready to get down to business and play some WCC matches.”
 
With 14 ties and nine lead changes in the first set, the Spartans had the Pilots on their heels the entire set. The Spartans held off a late Pilots rally to take an early 1-0 advantage.
 
Portland, however, took control in the second and third sets, hitting .571 and .684, respectively. The Pilots led 8-7 early in the third before sophomore Ariel Usher served the Pilots six straight points as Portland finished the set with a 17-7 run.
 
The fourth set saw the Spartans jump out to a 7-3 lead but Portland, which hit .684 in the previous set, rebounded quickly with several mini rallies. Trinity Western, meanwhile, could not break away from the Pilots as sophomore Ariel Usher paced the Pilots with six kills in the set.
 
For the second consecutive game, Portland had four players with double-digit kill totals as junior Kati Hronek (17), Bostwick (13), junior Marissa Plummer (12), and Usher (12) all reached the mark. Sophomore Madison Smith, coming off a career-high 63 assists against Seattle last week, posted 53 assists and eight digs.
 
Portland begins conference play this weekend on the road. The Pilots start in Moraga with a 7 PM Thursday contest with St. Mary’s before heading to No. 24 San Diego for a 1 PM match on Saturday.