Complete Release I Live Stats/Video: San Francisco I Santa Clara
PORTLAND PILOTS (8-18, 2-11 WCC)
at San Francisco Dons (13-11, 5-6 WCC)
at Santa Clara Broncos (9-14, 4-8 WCC)
Dates: Thursday Nov. 10 and Saturday Nov. 12
Locations:
San Francisco, Calif. - War Memorial Gym (5,300)
Santa Clara, Calif. - Leavey Center (4,500)
Starting Times:
Thursday 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats/Video:
usfdons.com
santaclarabroncos.com
Pilots All-Time:
vs San Francisco, USF leads 31-22
vs Santa Clara, SC leads 44-7
Quick Hits...
• Portland hits the road for the remainder of the season, playing two California matches this week and one in Utah next week.
• The Pilots begin the final road trip of the season by playing San Francisco Thursday night at 7 p.m. before taking on the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday at 1 p.m.
• UP defeated USF earlier this season in five sets and enters the match having won three straight against the Dons.
• Sophomore OH Autumn Wedan posted 16 kills in the previous match-up, a career-high up to that point.
• Portland lost their final two home of the season to Saint Mary’s and No. 21 San Diego last weekend. Seniors Marissa Plummer and Kati Hronek were recognized for their career accomplishments prior to the match.
• Plummer tied a career-high with nine blocks against the Gaels while Hronek posted a match-high 11 kills against the Toreros.
The Times They Are a-Changin’
• Portland’s season finale at BYU has changed from a 6 p.m. (PST) start time to a noon (PST) start time.
• Because of the time change, the match will air on BYUtv (DirecTV - 374, Comcast - 234).
Clog in the Middle? Call a Plummer
• Senior MB Marissa Plummer has established herself as one of the best middle blockers in school history.
• She has 96 total blocks this season, 19 solo and 77 assisted.
• Plummer ranks fourth in school history with 367 total blocks.
• 301 of her career blocks are of the assisted variety, ranking her third in school history, behind Christy Martin (319) and Beth Henson (407).
• During the Nike Portland Invitational, she tallied 37 kills, 15 blocks, and five aces to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
High Five
• Redshirt-junior MB Rachel Femling has been a solid contributor again this year for the Pilots.
• She is second on the team in attacking percentage while recording 155 kills and 66 blocks.
• Femling earned a spot on her first career All-Tournament Team at the Golden Dome Invitational after posting 18 kills on a .289 attacking percentage with 14 blocks.
• She recorded 10 blocks (9 assisted, 1 solo) against Lipscomb for her second career 10+ block match.
Autumn Springs and the Ball Falls
• Sophomore OH Autumn Wedan has become a steady source of points for the Pilots as the season has progressed.
• She averages 2.42 kills per set, posting 10+ kills in 11 of 12 matches earlier this season, including seven straight.
• Against the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Oct. 8, Wedan posted a career-high 19 kills on a .421 attacking percentage.
• Wedan made her first career All-Tournament Team (31 kills and 8 digs) at the Golden Dome Invitational.
MJ Sets the Scene
• Stepping into her first season as the Pilots’ primary setter, sophomore Monica Jordan has 861 assists so far this season.
• In addition to averaging 8.20 assists per set, Jordan has 65 kills on the season with 179 digs.
• On nine occasions, she’s posted 40+ assists in a match, including four 50+ matches.
Ariel Assault, Part III
• Now in her junior season, OH Ariel Usher continues to find open court on her attacks.
• After a slow start to the season, she now leads the Pilots with 258 kills.
• The home splits play out favorably for the native of Hillsboro, Ore. In 14 home matches, Usher’s per set averages were 2.72 kills, 1.73 digs, and .62 blocks.
Like a Boss-twick
• Junior OH Kate Bostwick has settled in as an offensive and defensive weapon this season.
• Named to the Portland Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team after recording 44 kills and 43 digs.
• Bostwick was also named to the Aztec Invitational All-Tournament Team (35 kills, 26 digs, 5 blocks), her first career All-Tournament Team.
New Kids on the Block
• Following the departure of libero Danielle Dupar, Jacqueline Rodriguez and Katie Mardesich have stepped up in their freshman seasons.
• Rodriguez leads the team with 3.10 digs per set (158 total), qualifying for the sixth highest career average in school history (minimum 50 sets).
• Mardesich, a Portland native, is close behind with an average of 3.00 digs per set while leading the team with 281 total, qualifying for the eight best career average in school history.
Take it to the Limit
• The Pilots defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Oct. 22 in their 11th five-set match of the season, a program record.
• Portland averages 4.19 sets/match, the most in the country.
• Of the 21 Division 1 schools that average 4.00 sets/match or more, two are members for the WCC (Portland - 4.19 and Saint Mary’s - 4.04) with two more just under 4.00 sets per match (Gonzaga - 3.96 and Pepperdine - 3.91).
A New Look...
• For the ?rst time in more than 30 years, the West Coast Conference has a new member as Brigham Young University formally joined the WCC last summer.
• The Cougars will field a team in 11 of the Conference’s 13 sponsored sports.
• With the change in membership, the WCC launched its new brand identity with a new logo, it’s first visual change since 1995.
Moore Bloggin’ on the Bluff
• Freshman OH/S Sam Moore takes the reins of the volleyball blog this season.
• Be sure to visit PortlandPilots.com/MooreBlog all season long to get an in-depth look at the UP Volleyball Program.
More Exposure
• And don’t forget to visit the team’s facebook page for exclusive updates, photos, and information. The page can be found by searching for ‘Portland Pilots Volleyball’ on the facebook home page.
Getting to Know the Pilots
• This week’s edition of Side-Out features Bea Loper, a freshman middle blocker from Lake Forest, Calif.
