OGDEN, Utah --- The Portland Pilots volleyball team rallied from losing their first set against the Weber State Wildcats to take the match in four sets this Friday afternoon in the Wildcat Invitational. The Pilots won in four sets, 17-25, 25-16, 25-20 and 25-20.
 
This was Portland's second win of the day, as the Pilots earlier earned a win against CSUN in four sets.
 
The Pilots struggled out of the gate, but refused to be denied the victory. Their will was tested the most in the third set, where at one point they were down 7-14 to the Wildcats. They would go on to make a 15-3 run, featuring four kills from junior Liz Reich, to take the third set and retain the momentum.

Senior Katie Barker and junior Kellie Hughes led the match in kills and assists, with 15 and 47, respectively.

Weber State (1-1) came out in a hurry in the first set, beginning the match with a 9-3 lead. The Pilots would close the gap to 12-14, thanks to four early kills from junior Kassidy Naone, but were unable to complete the comeback and fell 17-25 in the first set.

It was now the Pilots turn to take an early lead, going up 7-2. Barker was red hot in the second, having six kills and a service ace. The Pilots would go on to soundly take the second set, taking it 25-15.

In the pivotal third set, the Wildcats once again grabbed an early lead and at one point led the Pilots 14-7. Not to be outdone, Portland would go on a 15-3 run that featured three kills in a row to start the run from junior Liz Reich. Weber State would go on to tie the set at 19-19, but two straight blocks from Barker and sophomore Claire Forrest made it 21-19, with the Pilots completing the rally to take the fourth set 25-20.
Both teams would go back and forth for positioning to begin the fourth set, but Portland would take command with a 7-3 run to go up 15-11. Weber State would continue to fight, staying within fighting distance the remainder of the set. The Pilots wouldn't allow them to complete their own rally however, and would go on to take the fourth and final set, the score 25-20.

The Pilots will seek their third victory this weekend tomorrow morning, finishing the Wildcat Invitational against UNLV at 10 AM.