PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland and Pepperdine opened West Coast Conference play with a hard-fought match on Thursday night in the Chiles Center with the Waves overcoming the Pilots in three sets. The Waves won by scores of 25-22, 25-21, and 25-17.
 
Tonight marks the first loss of the season for the Pilots (12-1), ending their record-setting 12-match win streak. The 12 straight W's were both the program's best start ever and longest winning streak.

"Pepperdine is a good volleyball team and did a lot of things to effect us," head coach Jeff Baxter said after the match. "We look forward to having a great practice in preparation for LMU."
 
Sophomore Liz Reich led the Pilots in kills with 11, while junior Cali Thompson kept racking up assists with 28. Sophomore Izzy Guzik and senior Reghan Pukis both added eight kills, and senior Lauren Naatz provided 11 digs.
 
Pepperdine (7-4) came out in the first set to a 9-4 lead, and made it a challenge for the Pilots to gain any momentum early on. The Pilots stayed persistent and climbed their way back into the set by going on a 5-0 run to pull within one at 15-16, with the help of a pair of kills from junior Shayla Hoeft. The Waves would not break easily however, and would take the first set 25-22.
 
The second set took a similar beginning to the first as the Pilots fell behind early, going down 12-4 at one point to the Waves. They would not go down without a fight, making a run mid-way through the set, bringing the score back to 17-13. Kills from Reich and Guzik sparked the comeback, and the Pilots cut the deficit to three moments later, thanks to another kill from Reich. But the Waves held on 25-21.

The Waves would once again take the early lead in the third, while the Pilots fought back with three straight blocks. The Waves would hold onto their lead from there and win the final set, 25-19.
 
The Pilots will next look to close out their weekend with a win, playing the LMU Lions this Saturday at the Chiles Center at noon.