LAS CRUCES, N.M. --- The Portland Pilots volleyball team swept Springhill Suites Invitational host's New Mexico State on Friday night, their second sweep of the day. The Pilots won in three sets, 25-19, 25-22, and 25-22.
The Pilots were led offensively by junior's Liz Reich (13 kills) and Kellie Hughes (28 assists, two service aces), while senior Katie Barker (four total blocks) and junior Carey Williams (12 digs) held down the defense.
"We did a great job of playing steady emotionally, and of hitting our serves from the baseline", said Assistant Coach Dylan Hamilton. "I'm proud of our team's performance tonight, and we're excited to get after it again tomorrow morning."
Portland (6-2) continued their serving hot streak, racking up 12 service aces throughout the match. Freshman Grace Zilbert ended the match with five service aces, one away from tying the all-time Portland record in a three-set match (six).
The first set began with both squads going back and forth, but Portland slowly began to breakthrough and gained a 10-7 lead thanks to a kill from Reich. NMSU (6-1) battled back, but Portland went go on a 6-0 run to separate themselves and gain a 24-17 lead, and went on to take the first set at 25-19.
Portland rode their momentum early in the second set, coming out to 7-2 lead that featured three service aces in a row from Zilbert. NMSU were determined to retake the lead, and did so thanks to a 9-3 Aggie run. The Pilots remained calm, and responded with a 9-3 run of their own that featured four service aces, two from Zilbert and two from junior Emma Scanlan. Portland went on to take the second set at 25-22.
The Aggies once again refused to give in, keeping the third set close throughout. The Pilots finally gained a little breathing room at 17-14, with back to back kills from senior Shayla Hoeft (12 kills). NMSU went on to tie the set at 20-20, but Portland once again responded, going on a 3-0 run to retake the lead and eventually complete the sweep, the third set score at 25-22.
The Pilots will seek to go 3-0 on the weekend tomorrow, finishing their time New Mexico against Lamar at 9 a.m.
