OGDEN, UTAH. – The Portland Pilots volleyball team defeated CSU Northridge on Friday in its season-opening match at the Wildcat Invitational at Swenson Gym. The Pilots won in four sets, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23, and 28-26. Portland head coach Jeff Baxter earned his second straight victory to open the season, in a tightly contested match.
"Fun to watch us compete against a good CSUN team," Baxter said. "(We're) looking forward to a battle against Weber State tonight."
Four Pilots (1-0) recorded at least 11 kills in the match, led by junior Liz Reich who had a team-high 19 kills. Seniors Katie Barker and Shayla Hoeft, along with junior Kassidy Naone all had 11 kills. In her first start in purple and white, junior Kellie Hughes had a career-high 48 assists.
The first set proved to be much like the entire match, with both teams refusing to allow the other to create a divide. Reich, Barker and Hoeft all had three kills in the set, but were unable to stop a 10-3 run by the Matadors that featured two back to back service aces by sophomore Lexi McLeod. Portland would be unable to pull off the comeback, falling 21-25 in the first set.
The Pilots sought to put an end to any momentum for the Matadors, but were once again unable to build separation. Both teams went back and forth until a 9-2 Portland run, led by four kills from Reich and a service ace from junior Carey Williams gave the Pilots the second set at 25-20.
CSUN continued to keep the Pilots anchored, keeping them from taking any large leads in the third set. Barker and Naone kept the Pilots in the set, each having five kills, while Williams had six digs. Portland would find separation with the set score tied at 22-22, with Hoeft and sophomore Claire Forrest grabbing kills to put the Pilots up in sets, the third set score 25-23.
Portland would build off of their momentum, taking an early 9-4 lead in the fourth set thanks to three blocks from Naone. Their lead would be short lived however, as the Matadors would counter with a 12-6 run to take the set lead at 16-15. Both teams would continue to go neck and neck with one another, eventually leading to the Pilots being down 24-25. Reich would give the Pilots back the lead with two straight kills, with Barker finishing the match with her 11th kill to give the Pilots the fourth set at 28-26.
The Pilots will continue action at the Wildcat Invitational against hosts Weber State at 6:30 PM tonight, and finish their weekend against UNLV this Saturday at 10:00 AM.
