PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots beach volleyball team begins West Coast Conference play this weekend at the Santa Cruz WCC Mid-Season Invitational in Santa Cruz, Calif. The two-day tournament takes place on Friday and Saturday on the Santa Cruz beach, with the Pilots finishing their Bay Area road trip against San Jose State on Sunday at Galivan Community College.

"We are excited to get back to competition after two weeks of great training, and have made substantial improvements, both tactically and technically", said Head Coach Dylan Hamilton. "The girls are eager to get back in the sand, and play against some of the best teams in the country. The opportunity to play in the bay area means coming back home for a number of players, so it's always a special experience."

The Pilots will first take on Loyola Marymount on Friday at 10 a.m., before facing Pacific at 12:00 p.m. later that day. The Lions (13-6) enter the weekend ranked No. 13 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, and have high quality victories against No. 7 Cal Poly and previously ranked Grand Canyon. The Tigers (0-2) began their season just this past week, falling to Saint Mary's and San Jose State.

Their WCC play will continue Saturday, as a playoff bracket shall tip-off at 9 a.m. and last till noon, with a fifth, third and first place match for the Mid-Season Invitational commencing afterwards.

Portland will finish their weekend against the Spartans (9-6) on Sunday at 12:00 p.m., who've won four matches in a row with wins against WCC teams San Francisco and Pacific.