PORTLAND PILOTS (0-0, 0-0 WCC)
WEEK 1: vs. Hawai'i / Willamette / Utah Valley
 
Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (0-0)
Day: Friday
Date: Nov. 10, 2017
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 7:00 PM
Gym: Chiles Center
Live Video: TheW.tv
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UH
Overall: 2-2  •  Last 5/10: 2-2/2-2
H: 1-1  •  A: 1-1  •  N: 0-0
Last: POR 82, @UH 64 (11/18/11)
 
Willamette Bearcats (0-0)
Day: Sunday
Date: Nov. 12, 2017
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 7:00 PM
Gym: Chiles Center
Live Video: TheW.tv
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. WU
Overall: 6-1  •  Last 5/10: 5-0/6-1
H: 3-0  •  A: 1-0  •  N: 1-0  •  U: 1-1
Last: @POR 73, WU 54 (11/14/15)
 
Utah Valley Wolverines (0-0)
Day: Tuesday
Date: Nov. 14, 2017
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 5:00 PM
Gym: Chiles Center
Live Video: TheW.tv
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
 
POR vs. UVU
Overall: 4-2  •  Last 5/10: 3-2/4-2
H: 4-0  •  A: 0-2  •  N: 0-0
Last: @POR 78, UVU 40 (12/29/09)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots open the 2017-18 campaign with three straight home games, beginning on Friday night against the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center.
• Sunday brings a 7 p.m. contest against the Willamette Bearcats, and the Pilots cap the homestand on Tuesday night, with a 5 p.m. game against the Utah Valley Wolverines.
• All three games will be streamed live on TheW.tv, and Tuesday's contest precedes a men's game against Walla Walla at the Chiles Center.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots used a second-half comeback and a put-back on an offensive rebound from junior Ashley Gray during the final seconds to claim a 73-72 exhibition win over the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday night at the Chiles Center.
• Gray finished with nine points and 12 boards, while junior Darian Slaga and freshman Josie Matz led the way offensively with 14 points each.
• Sophomore Kate Andersen chipped in with 10 points, and Julie Spencer collected nine points and 10 rebounds as the Pilots out-rebounded the Wolves 44-31.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are a young squad with seven newcomers, but also return seven letterwinners from a year ago.
• Portland's top returning scorer and rebounder is junior forward Julie Spencer, who is coming off a break-out year; she averaged career bests of 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest as a sophomore, she claimed four double-doubles, and she corralled 18 rebounds during a game, which was the most boards by a Pilot since 2013.
• Making her return to Portland's backcourt is redshirt-senior Rachelle Owens, who only appeared in one game last year before an injury cut her season short; as a junior transfer in 2015-16, Owens appeared in 25 games, all off the bench.
• Junior guard Darian Slaga, who was third on the team in scoring last season, is also back after averaging 8.6 points per game as a sophomore; twice Slaga scored more than 20 points last winter, which included a 24-point outburst against the No. 24 Washington Huskies.
• New to The Bluff is a sizable group of seven newcomers, which features six true freshmen and a junior transfer.
• Forward Lisa-Marie Kaempf comes to Portland from Midland College and has two years of eligibility remaining with the Pilots, while forward Jayce Gorzeman, forward Erik Kankfelt, guard Josie Matz, guard Maddie Muhlheim, center Lauren Walker, and forward Kristina Wooldridge are freshmen in their debut seasons.
• The Pilots were selected to finish 10th in the WCC, finishing just two points behind ninth-place Pepperdine in the preseason coaches' poll; Gonzaga was selected as the league favorite.
• 2017-18 marks the fourth year for head coach Cheryl Sorenson, who was previously an assistant for the Pilots; she assumed the reins of the program after long-time head
coach Jim Sollars retired following the 2013-14 season.
• Sorenson, who starred collegiately at the University of Washington, was a high school
All-American at nearby Clackamas High School.
• Back on the Portland bench are fourth-year assistant coaches Steve Lowe and Brianna
Chambers, while assistant coach Drew Muscatell returns for his third year on the Portland bench.
• Portland has been to four NCAA Tournaments (1994-97), two WNIT's (1998 & 2009) and one WBI (2010).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Hawai'i went 12-18 overall last season and was 7-9 in the Big West Conference.
• Senior Sarah Toeaina earned first-team All-Big West honors after averaging 13.5 points per game for the Rainbow Wahine last year.
• The Rainbow Wahine return all five starters and nine letterwinners from last season, while adding three newcomers.
• Hawai'i has reached the NCAA Tournament six times, most recently in 2016.
• Sixth-year head coach Laura Beeman is closing in on 100 career wins.
• Willamette competes in NCAA Division III and the Northwest Conference (NWC).
• The Bearcats narrowly defeated DII Western Oregon 69-68 in an exhibition game last week.
• Freshman guard Amanda Carpenter led the way against the Wolves with a team-high 18 points off the bench.
• Peg Swadener is in her fifth season at the helm of the Bearcats.
• Utah Valley, who went 9-22 last year, features seven returning players from last season and six newcomers.
• The Wolverines feature a pair of Preseason All-WAC selections in senior guards Taylor Christensen and Mariah Seals; Christensen led the squad in scoring (13.7 ppg) last year, while Seals added 13.0 points per contest.
• Cathy Nixon is in her 23rd year as head coach at Utah Valley.