NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
(15-13, 10-7 BIG SKY)
 
Day: Thursday
Date: Nov. 29, 2018
Place: Laramie, Wyo.
Time: 4:00 PM
Facility: Uniwyo Sports Complex
Video: www.womensnivc.com
Stats: www.womensnivc.com
 
POR vs. UNC
Overall Series: 2-1
H: 0-0 •  A: 0-0  •  N: 2-1
Last: POR 3, UNC 1 (9/8/2017)

THIS WEEK
• The Pilots enter postseason play for the first time in program history, competing in the National Invitation Volleyball Challenge.
• They begin the first round in Laramie, Wyoming, competing against the Northern Colorado Bears on Thursday, November 29th at 3:00 PM.
• Live video and stats for this weekend's match-ups can be found at www.womensnivc.com.
• The winner of the match will play the victor of Wyoming vs Utah Valley on November 30th.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots hosted the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their last home match of the 2018 season. Before the match, Portland celebrated seniors Lauren Naatz and Reghan Pukis for their contributions to the Pilots best four year run in program history.
• The Bulldogs overcame the Pilots in five sets, despite a double-double by sophomore Izzy Guzik (20 kills, 11 digs) and a match-high 27 digs by sophomore libero Carey Williams.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• First-year head coach Jeff Baxter has led the Pilots to their best start in program history, going a perfect 12-0.
• The 12-match winning streak was the longest in program history.
• Thanks to their 9-0 start, the Pilots received four votes in the NCAA AVCA Coaches' Poll during week four, marking the first time in program history that the UP volleyball team has received votes.
• Following the 12-0 start, VolleyMob placed the Pilots at No. 27 in the country.
• The Pilots win at San Francisco on Nov. 3rd was their 18th of the year, securing their highest win total during a season since 1986, the previous high being 19 during our first season as a D-1 program.
• Within the WCC, the Pilots are No. 2 in team digs (1,609), and No. 3 in team assists (1,367), team kills (1,438), and team service aces (173).
• Junior Katie Barker has had a remarkable 2018 campaign: she's on path this season to be No. 2 in single season history in hitting percentage with .342, No. 6 in total block with 124 and No. 8 in blocks per set with 1.11.
• Barker's impressive season hasn't gone unnoticed: on November 26th, she was nominated to the 2018 WCC Honorable Mention squad for the first time.
• Sophomore Libero Carey Williams has had an impressive 2018 season as well, ranking No. 1 in the WCC in total digs (478) and second in digs per set (4.27).
• Junior Cali Thompson continues to climb the record books, now ranking fourth all-time in UP program history with 3,522 career assists, passing Megan Staropoli (1984-86, 3,359 assists) in week 12.
• Senior Reghan Pukis is No. 8 all-time at Portland in career kills per set (3.15).
• Junior middle blocker Shayla Hoeft was named the initial WCC Player of the Week of 2018, after she helped lead the Pilots to an undefeated opening weekend and the 2018 Aztec Invitational title.
• Hoeft was named the tournament's MVP after the Pilots clinched all three matches. She led the Pilots in kills (38), kills per set (3.8), hitting percentage amongst starters (.457) and tied for the team lead in blocks (10).
• Head Coach Jeff Baxter is not the only coach on the staff with an impressive resume: assistant coach Betsy Sedlak was chosen as a UC Davis CAA Hall of Fame inductee, thanks to her role as middle blocker for her alma-mater. She amassed 393 total blocks, good for second all-time, and led the Aggies to their only 20-win seasons of the Division I era.   
• The Pilots returned three of the top four leaders in kills from a year ago, led by senior Reghan Pukis who totaled 367 kills as a junior.
• Cali Thompson registered 1,174 assist last year, which ranks No. 5 on Portland's all-time single-season list.
• Baxter, who was an assistant under former head coach Brent Crouch for the past two seasons, took over the program during the off-season after Crouch was hired at USC.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Northern Colorado finished sixth in the Big Sky Conference, and joins fellow conference member Northern Arizona in postseason play (NAU will play No. 16 Washington State in the NCAA Tourney).
• The Bears were first in the Big Sky in assists per set and attacks per set with 12.66 and 37.71, respectively
• They're led by junior Taylor Els and sophomore Daisy Schultz: Els led the conference in digs per set with 5.56, while Schultz was No. 1 in the league in assists per set with 11.32.