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PORTLAND PILOTS (6-7)
vs No. 19 PEPPERDINE (6-5) and LMU (6-6)
Dates: Thursday Sept. 22 and Saturday Sept. 24
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
Starting Times:
Thursday vs Pepperdine - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday vs Loyola Marymount - 1:00 p.m
Live Stats/Audio/Video: portlandpilots.com
Pilots All-Time:           
vs Pepperdine, PEP leads 46-2
vs Loyola Marymount, LMU leads 39-10

Quick Hits...
• Portland defeated Portland State (25-15, 25-22, 17-25, 25-16) and Idaho (25-21, 25-15, 23-25, 25-20) in a pair of midweek match-ups last week.
• Junior OH Ariel Usher led all players in kills in both matches, with 17 against PSU and 15 against Idaho, hitting over .300 each match.
• Senior OH Kati Hronek and sophomore OH Autumn Wedan also posted double digit kills in each match.
• Portland has now won three straight home matches.
• From Sept. 1 to Sept. 14, the Pilots played 10 matches, the most in a two week stretch that they’ll play this season.

Clog in the Middle? Call a Plummer
• Senior MB Marissa Plummer has already established herself as one of the best middle blockers in school history.
• She has 49 total blocks this season, eight solo and 41 assisted.
• Plummer ranks sixth in school history with 320 total blocks and can pass Dawn Eudaly (322) and Gretchen Sanders (330) this weekend.
• 265 of her career blocks are of the assisted variety, ranking her fourth in school history.
• During the Nike Portland Invitational, she tallied 37 kills, 15 blocks, and five aces to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. 

Like a Boss-twick
• Junior OH Kate Bostwick is settling in as an offensive and defensive force 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.
• Through 13 matches so far, the native of Pendleton, Ore., her per set averages sit at 1.81 kills and 1.85 digs.

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 at .286, with 72 kills and 44 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.
• With 18 kills, a .289 attacking percentage, and 14 blocks, Femling earned a spot on her first career All-Tournament Team at the Golden Dome Invitational.

Autumn Springs and the Ball Falls
• Sophomore OH Autumn Wedan has earned herself some playing time as she hammers away at the opponents’ back court.
• She averages 2.38 kills per set, posting 10+ kills in each of her last four matches.
• 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 473 assists so far this season.
• In addition to averaging 9.27 assists per set, Jordan has 38 kills on the season with 86 digs.
• On seven occasions, she’s posted 40+ assists in a match, including three 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’s rebounded of late, with five double digit kill matches over the last seven.
• Usher’s home splits play out favorably for the native of Hillsboro, Ore. Through seven matches, she has per set averages of 2.74 kills, 1.63 digs, and .67 blocks.

New Kids on the Block
• Following the departure of libero Danielle Dupar, freshmen Jacqueline Rodriguez and Katie Mardesich have stepped in to fill the void with some help from junior Jessica Nguyen.
• Rodriguez leads the team with 3.10 digs per set, qualifying for the sixth highest career average in school history (minimum 50 sets).
• Mardesich, a Portland native, is close behind with an average of 2.29 digs per set.
• Nguyen has also stepped in to pace the defense, averaging 1.68 digs per set while also providing the Pilots with strong serves.

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.

They don’t call it ‘GameCentral’ for nothing...
• UP is entering its second year of providing fans with ‘GameCentral’, which is a free portal via PortlandPilots.com that offers live video, live audio and live stats  all on the same page for all home matches.
• The internet broadcast will feature a three-four camera production this season with instant replays. 

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 freshman DS/L Jacqueline Rodriguez, from Chicago, Ill. Click below to watch!