PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots volleyball team won their lone exhibition match of the 2019 season over Seattle University Tuesday afternoon in the Chiles Center. The Pilots won in five sets, 25-27, 25-18, 25-10, 25-17 and 11-15, with the fifth set being played as a friendly.

"Today was a great opportunity for us to see a lot of different people in different spots", said head coach Jeff Baxter. "We learned a lot about ourselves, areas we have improved and gaps we get to upgrade over the coming week. (Overall) i'm proud of the way we competed as a team."

Senior Shayla Hoeft led the way for the Pilots, having a match-high 12 kills and three solo blocks. Newcomers sophomore Claire Forrest and freshman Noelani Helm both had impressive debuts, with Forrest grabbing 11 kills and Helm having 17 digs.  
 
Portland begun the match with a 7-2 run, forcing an early Redhawk timeout. Despite Seattle making a short rally, the Pilots jumped back out to an 18-12 lead thanks to a solo block from Forrest. Seattle once again came back with a rally, taking the lead at 22-21. Down 22-24, Portland would tie the set at 24-24, but ultimately fell to Seattle, the first set score 27-25. 
 
The Pilots once again found themselves in the lead early, gaining a 12-8 lead thanks to a 5-1 run capitalized by a kill from Hoeft. Forrest would continue to rack up kills, extending the Pilots lead to 17-10. They'd hold onto the lead in the second set, taking it 25-18. 
 
Capitalizing on the momentum swing, the Pilots opened the third set with a 9-2 run. They would stay in command, increasing their lead to 22-10 thanks to a diving dig from junior McKenzie Schwan. Portland would go on to take the 2-1 set lead, taking the third set 25-11. 
 
It was the Redhawks turn to take the early lead, going up 6-2 early to begin the fourth set. Portland wouldn't stay down long, taking the lead at 11-10 and would go on to take the fourth set at 25-17. 
 
The fifth and final set was played as a practice set, with the Redhawks rallying down 6-8 to take the fifth set at 15-11. 
 
The Pilots officially kick-off the 2019 season on August 30^th, against Cal State University Northridge in Ogden, Utah at 11:00 AM.