SAN FRANCISCO DONS
(4-13, 0-6 WCC)
 
Day: Thursday
Date: Oct. 17, 2019
Place: San Francisco, Calif. 
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Facility: Sobrano Center
Video: portlandpilots.com
Stats: portlandpilots.com
 
POR vs. USF
Overall Series: 31-37
H: 17-12 •  A: 14-25  •  N: 0-0
Last: POR 3, @USF 2 (11.03.18)
 
SANTA CLARA BRONCOS
(12-6, 2-3 WCC)
 
Day: Saturday
Date: Oct. 19, 2019
Place: Santa Clara, Calif. 
Time: 12:00 P.M.
Facility: Leavey Center
Video: portlandpilots.com
Stats: portlandpilots.com
 
POR vs. SC
Overall Series: 12-54
H: 6-26 •  A: 6-27  •  N: 0-1
Last: POR 3, @SC 1 (11.01.18)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots fly south to the Bay Area, playing road matches against San Francisco & Santa Clara.
• Stats and Video for both matches can be found at portlandpilots.com
 
LAST WEEK
 • The Pilots hosted a pair of matches, against WCC foes Pacific & Saint Mary's. Portland won their first conference match against the Tigers, but fell in four sets to the Gaels.
• Junior Liz Reich was the catalyst for the Pilots offense, recording 38 kills & three total blocks in week seven. Juniors Carey Williams and Kellie Hughes led both matches in digs and assists, respectively.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• This is Jeff Baxter's second season as head coach of the Pilots, coming off Portland's first 20-win season and postseason appearance in program history.
• Portland's ability to serve up aces has been huge to their early success: The Pilots rank 9th in the NCAA in aces per set (1.89), placing them first in the WCC.
• Freshman Grace Zilbert has a been the catalyst of the Pilots serving ability, ranking 53rd in the country in aces per set (0.42). Nine matches into her collegiate career, she already has two five-ace matches. 
• Junior Kellie Hughes has made significant strides this season, with Hughes ranking 48th in the country in assists per set (10.55). Within the West Coast Conference, Hughes ranks 1st in assists per set and total assists (664).
• In the WCC, the Pilots are 1st in digs per set (14.78) and team service aces (121). Individually, junior Carey Williams has led the way defensively, ranking 1st in the conference in digs per set (4.53) and 2nd in total digs (290).
• Three Pilots earned All-Tournament honors at the Springhill Suites Invitational, including MVP Senior Shayla Hoeft (40 kills, four blocks), Hughes (93 assists) and freshman Grace Zilbert (seven aces, 13 digs).
• For their efforts in the Portland North Marriott Invite, Hoeft and Williams were nominated to the All-Tournament Team. Hoeft had 43 kills, while Williams had 59 digs and 12 assists.
• The Pilots returned nine letterwinners from the 2018 season, including 2018 All-WCC Honorable Mention senior Katie Barker.
• The program welcomed three true freshmen to The Bluff this summer, as well two transfers from the University of Boise State and Seton Hall University, respectively.
• Sophomore transfers Jessie Brigham & Claire Forrest bring experience to the squad: Brigham led the BSU Broncos in digs in 2018 with 356, while Forrest notched two matches with 10 kills as a Pirate, including a career-high 11 kills against VCU.
• Portland's freshmen class is made up of Zilbert, Noelani Helm and Jayde Harris, all three contributing in 2019. 
• To replace former assistant coaches Betsy Sedlak and Rick Moller departures from the program, Baxter brought in former University of Nevada assistant coach Megan Burton and former University of Washington player Justice Magraw.
 • The Pilots saw two seniors graduate last spring in Reghan Pukis and Lauren Naatz.
• Portland was picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll, jumping two spots from the previous poll.
• Senior middle blocker Katie Barker seeks to improve on her coming out party as a junior: she was nominated to the 2018 All-WCC Honorable Mention squad and had 128 block assists, 143 total blocks and a .334 hitting percentage, which were 1st, 2nd and 5th most in single season history for the Pilots, respectively.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• San Francisco is 4-13 (0-6 WCC) in 2019, featuring a win against Utah State: the Pilots played the Aggies on September 7th, winning the match in five sets.
• The Dons are led by senior Kathya Garcia, who leads the team in kills (186) & aces (24). Junior Anna Dalla Vecchia is 3rd in the WCC in digs with 253.
• Santa Clara has surprised everyone, earning a 12-6 record after being selected to finish 9th in the WCC. They've won matches against Big-10 squad Indiana and 2018 NIVC Tourney participant Northern Colorado.
• Senior Taylor Odom has played a large part in the Broncos early success, ranking 6th in the nation in total blocks (101) and 3rd on her squad in kills (143).