Box Score PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots opened West Coast Conference play Thursday night, falling to the San Diego Toreros. The Toreros took it with set scores of 25-18, 25-18 and 25-11.
 
Senior Shayla Hoeft led the Pilots (8-4, 0-1 WCC) in kills with eight, while junior Kellie Hughes had 18 assists and four digs. Junior Carey Williams and senior Katie Barker led the way defensively, with Williams having 12 digs and Barker recording four blocks.
 
As the first set unfolded, the Toreros (8-4, WCC 1-0) took an early lead thanks to a 5-0 run, making it 5-1 San Diego. The Pilots stayed close, with cutting their deficit to 18-21 thanks to a service ace from Hughes. The Toreros would weather the storm, taking the first at 25-18.
 
San Diego came out hot once again, starting the second set with a 4-0 run. Portland refused to give in, cutting the Toreros lead to 14-12 with a 4-1 run. The Pilots continued to keep the score close, with Barker grabbing three blocks and a kill in the second. The Toreros would hold on to the set once more, taking it 25-18.
 
In the third set, San Diego came out with an early lead once again, a 5-1 run giving them an 8-5 lead. The Toreros would go on to take the final set at 25-11.
 
The Pilots return to action on Saturday, hosting No. 9 BYU at the Chiles Center at noon.