Box Score

Jordan’s Double-Double Not Enough as Bulldogs Top Pilots
 
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Junior setter Monica Jordan posted her fourth double-double of the season and a trio of Pilots reached double digit kills, but the Portland Pilots lost a 3-1 decision to the Gonzaga Bulldogs (20-25, 25-21, 27-25, 25-19) Thursday night in front of the largest crowd the Chiles Center has housed this season.
 
Jordan set the tone for the Pilots (6-11, 0-3 WCC) from the get-go. Distributing the offense in a balanced manner, Jordan and freshman setter Lexi Dempsey kept Gonzaga’s (9-7, 1-2 WCC) defense on its heels in the first half of the match.
 
Late in a tight first set, Portland seized the opportunity to take the match’s early lead as Jordan found seniors Ariel Usher and Rachel Femling for three straight kills, jumpstarting a 6-1 run that would end the first set. Femling notched eight kills on a .316 attacking percentage, thwarting four Gonzaga attacks as well.
 
After Gonzaga claimed the second set, Portland recaptured the momentum with a hot-start in the third set as the Pilots tallied eight kills on their first 10 swings and a 9-5 lead. Gonzaga would recover to take the third set and eventually the match.
 
Jordan finished with 29 assists and 14 digs while Dempsey recorded 21 assists on the night. Sophomore middle blocker Bea Loper tied a career-high with 11 kills, an output matched by junior outside hitter Autumn Wedan.
 
Usher assembled another fantastic night, leading all players with 16 kills on a .295 attacking percentage while adding nine digs. Tonight’s kill total leaves her just three shy of the 1,000 career kill plateau as the Pilots head to San Diego to face the 16th-ranked Toreros on Saturday at 1 p.m.