PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots beach volleyball team will open their 2017 season this weekend with two matches against the Oregon Ducks at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore.
 
"We are excited for the opportunity to compete this year against some of the top teams in the nation," said head coach Jeff Baxter. "The returners have made significant improvements since last season and we are expecting big contributions from our newcomers."
 
Oregon, only in their third season, has compiled an all-time record of 7-24. Last year the Ducks finished their 2016 season with a 2-10 record, with one of their wins coming against the Pilots in the final day of their home tournament.  
 
The Pilots enter the beach season coming off of a historic third-place finish in the West Coast Conference last fall, marking the most successful year for indoor volleyball in program history. Cali Thompson and Tani Stephens, paired as Portland's 1's team, will both be playing their first year of beach for the Pilots. Thompson landed on the All-WCC Freshman team for indoor and Stephens comes to The Bluff this spring as a graduate student, after completing four years of indoor volleyball at Washington State.
 
Hannah Troutman, who also had an impressive 2016season for the Pilots, claimed All-WCC honors for indoor volleyball and will be on Portland's 2's team paired with Katie Sullivan, who earned all-league honorable mention recognition as a senior last fall.
 
The matches will begin at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
 
Portland Teams
1's: Tani Stephens/Cali Thompson
2's: Hannah Troutman/Katie Barker
3's: Morgan Robinson/Emma Scanlan
4's: Sarah Savoca/Monica Gajda
5's: DJ Milovic/Lauren Naatz (Saturday); DJ Milovic/Brittney Markwith (Sunday)