Box Score No. 18 BYU Volleyball Knocks off Pilots
 
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The University of Portland volleyball team put pressure on No. 18 BYU, but dropped a three-set match on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center. The visiting Cougars improved to 21-2 overall and 9-2 in the West Coast Conference with a 25-19, 25-17, 25-19 win over the Pilots (6-19, 0-11).
 
Senior Ariel Usher led the Pilots with a match-high 11 kills, while junior Autumn Wedan added 10 kills.

Portland racked up 41 kills in the match compared to BYU’s 35, but the Cougars had nine total team blocks to Portland’s two. The Pilots also committed 12 costly service errors.

The opening set was close throughout as the Pilots overcame a 13-10 deficit to take an 18-17 lead when Usher and Rachel Femling combined for a big block. The Cougars responded by with seven straight points and finished the set on a kill by Nicole Warner.

BYU led the second set from start-to-finish as the Pilots hit just .079. An Usher kill midway through the third set gave Portland a 10-9, but a four-point run gave the Cougars an 18-14 edge. The resilient Pilots chipped away to make it 20-18 on a Kate Bostwick kill, before BYU closed the match out with a 5-1 run.

The Cougars had a balanced offensive attack with three different players recording eight kills. Nicole Warner added eight block assists to pace BYU.

Portland will hit the road next week to face LMU on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then Santa Clara on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Pilots final homestand will take place on Nov. 8-10 against San Diego and Saint Mary’s.