MALIBU, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots beat the Pepperdine Waves for the first time since 1994 at the Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. The five set victory is the first win for the Pilots in Malibu in program history. Hannah Troutman led the way for Portland with 15 kills, while Emily Liger contributed 13 and Sarah Savoca added 12.

Pepperdine drops to 16-11 and 7-7 in the West Coast Conference with set scores of 20-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22, and 15-11,

Portland (14-11, 4-9 WCC) out blocked the Waves 12-4 during the match.

Middle blocker Katie Sullivan notched a kill to give the Pilots a five point advantage at 14-9 in the first. The Waves worked back, but the Pilots still owned a slim advantage through the middle of the set. Portland was up 20-19 when Pepperdine went on a six point run to steal the set from the Pilots. Savoca led the way for the visiting squad with five kills during the set.

The two sides were level through the second set, until Mikaela Nocetti stepped up to the line to serve at the 18-18 scoreline. The freshman led Portland on a seven point run to set the Pilots up for set point. Pepperdine turned away one point, but the Pilots prevailed leveling the match up at one heading into the break.

Even play continued in the third, but this time it was the home side that snuck away with the win.

Pepperdine opened up the fourth strong earning a 16-7 advantage. Djurdjina Milovic set up Liger for a kill that turned the tides for Portland at 16-8. The Pilots strung together a pair of four point runs and limited the Waves to just six points through the rest of the set to win and force a fifth tie breaker.

The fifth set was close, but Portland used a mid-set three point run to gain some breathing room. Another three point run gave the Pilots the 14-9 advantage and then a kill by Troutman gave Portland the match win.

The Pilots return home next week to host WCC powerhouses BYU and San Diego.