PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots volleyball team has signed two recruits who will join the Pilots this spring, announced head coach Jeff Baxter. Both will be eligible to play for the Pilots on the beach this spring and indoor next fall. Portland native Grace Zilbert and Boise State University transfer Jessie Brigham have confirmed they will be playing on The Bluff in 2019, hoping to continue the new era of success in Pilots volleyball.
Ecstatic about his new recruits, Baxter spoke fondly of the new Pilots. "Grace and Jessie are two excellent additions to our program; they are great volleyball players and fantastic people. We see both of them having a big impact and are excited that they are able to join us for spring training."
Brigham finished her 2018 season at BSU as the team leader in digs with 356, the only Bronco to have over 300 this past season, and recorded a season-high 24 digs against UC Davis. She ranked seventh in the Mountain West Conference in total digs, with her productive freshman season leading the Broncos to an 18-11 record (10-8 MWC).
Originally from Sisters, Oregon, Brigham was a three-time Oregon 4A All-State honoree and a four-time All-Sky-Em League First Team member. She helped Sisters High School secure three Oregon 4A State Championships and one runner-up finish, four-straight Sky-Em League championships, and went a combined 46-5-1 overall during her final two years.
"We have known Jessie since her club volleyball days and we are excited she made the decision to join us at UP," said Baxter. "She had a very successful freshman season at Boise State, and we are looking forward to what she can contribute at UP in the back row."
Hailing from local powerhouse Lincoln high school, Zilbert is a 5'8" libero who led the Cardinals to three straight Portland Interscholastic League championships and was the team's MVP this past season. She has lettered for the Cardinals varsity program all four years of high school, captaining her squad the past two seasons. She was named 1st Team All Portland Interscholastic League as an outside hitter in 2016 before switching to the libero position, where she was named 1st Team All Portland Interscholastic League the past two years as a libero. She ended her senior year with a bang: after going undefeated in league play for the second straight season, she was honored as PIL Player of the Year, as well as the Cardinals team MVP award.
At the club level, she played for the Athena Volleyball Academy, where she led her team to become the champions of the Columbia Empire Volleyball Association in 2018, going undefeated in CEVA Region play during the 2017-2018 season.
"We are thrilled to have Grace joining us a semester early on The Bluff," said Baxter. "Grace has proven at the club level that she is an elite-level defender, and we are looking forward to her contributions on the court during her four years here."
