PORTLAND PILOTS (0-0, 0-0 WCC)
Week 1: at Aztec Invitational
 
CSU BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS (0-0, 0-0 WAC)
Day: Friday
Date: Aug. 24, 2018
Place: San Diego, Calif.
Time: 2:00 P.M.
Facility: Aztec Court
Video: N/A
Stats: GoAztecs.com
 
POR vs. CSUB
Overall Series: 2-0
H: 2-0 •  A: 0-0  •  N: 0-0
Last: @POR 3, CSUB 1 (9/9/2016)
 
CAMPBELL FIGHTING CAMELS (0-0, 0-0 BSC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Aug. 25, 2018
Place: San Diego, Calif.  
Time: 9:00 A.M.
Facility: Aztec Court
Video: N/A
Stats: GoAztecs.com
 
POR vs. CAMP
Overall Series: 0-0
H: 0-0 •  A: 0-0  •  N: 0-0
Last: N/A
 
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (0-0, 0-0 MWC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Aug. 25, 2018
Place: San Diego, Calif.
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Facility: Aztec Court
Video: GoAztecs.com
Stats: GoAztecs.com
 
POR vs. SDSU
Overall Series: 0-1
H: 0-0 •  A: 0-1  •  N: 0-0
Last: @SDSU 3, POR 2 (8/27/2011)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots will play their first three matches of the regular season participating in the 2018 Aztec Invitational, where they will play CSU Bakersfield, Campbell and San Diego State in San Diego, Calif.
• Portland will first play CSU Bakersfield this Friday at 2:00 p.m., and then will have a double header on Saturday starting with Campbell at 9:00 am, and finishing their weekend against San Diego State at 7:00 p.m.
• This will be Jeff Baxter's first tournament as head coach of the Pilots, coming off a strong 5-0 win in an exhibition match against Seattle.
• The Pilots were led against Seattle by Cali Thompson's 41 assists and Shayla Hoeft's 13 kills.
• Live stats for this weekend's tournament can be found on the tournament host's website (goaztecs.com), while the final match against San Diego State will be streamed live at goaztecs.com. 
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The program welcomed one true freshman to The Bluff this summer, as well as a transfer from the University of Nevada.
• Kylie Ristvedt, a freshman who is a Portland native from Cleveland High School, was the P.I.L. Player of the year the last two years.
• Shayla Hoeft, a junior transfer from the University of Nevada, had 302.5 points last year for the Wolf Pack; that would have been good for fourth on the Pilots last fall.
• The Pilots are featuring a new head coach this year in Jeff Baxter, as former head coach Brent Crouch accepted a new position as the head coach of the University of Southern California.
• Baxter, who was an assistant under Crouch for the past two seasons, will be called upon to continue the Pilots' volleyball resurgence.
• In the last three years under Crouch, the Pilots have won as many games (48) as they had in the previous 7 years (2008-2014). 
 • The Pilots saw three seniors graduate last spring, including Morgan Robinson, Sarah Savoca and Hannah Troutman.
• Troutman was a member of the 2017 All WCC-Volleyball First Team, while Morgan Robinson was a member of the 2017 WCC Volleyball All-Academic Honorable Mention.
• Portland was picked to finish eighth in the West Coast Conference in the preseason poll.
• The Pilots return three of the top four leaders in kills from a year ago, led by senior Reghan Pukis who totaled 367 kills as a junior.
• Junior setter Cali Thompson is also back after registering 1,174 assist last year, which ranks No. 5 on Portland's all-time single-season list; she enters the fall with 2,332 career assists, good for sixth on Portland's career charts.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• CSU Bakersfield is coming off a strong 2017 campaign, finishing 19-14 overall (.643), and they were picked in the Western Athletic Conference coaches preseason poll to finish third; one of their preseason All-WAC players, Briannah Mariner, led the 'Runners in kills and blocks in 2017.
• Campbell was also selected to finish third in their conference, voted on by the head volleyball coaches in the Big South; they finished their 2017 season 20-12 (.625), and were led by Allena Heath (451 total kills) and Jessica Stocking (team high 13 double-doubles).
• This will be the first meeting all-time between the Pilots and Fighting Camels.
• San Diego State was also coincidentally selected to place third in their respective conference, the Mountain West, and were 16-15 (.516) in 2017; they have 10 newcomers on their roster, and will be commanded by three-time All-MWC selection Deja Harris.