PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots opened the Portland North Marriott Invite with a win, claiming their first sweep of the season by defeating the Idaho Vandals 3-0 this Friday afternoon at the Chiles Center. The Pilots won in three sets, 25-14, 26-24, and 29-27.
 
Senior Shayla Hoeft led the match with 13 kills along with a .385 hitting percentage. Junior Liz Reich had nine kills and two blocks, while junior Carey Williams had 18 digs and three service aces.

The Pilots (3-1) battle back and forth with the Vandals (1-3) in the first set, until Reich's second kill of the match gave Portland the lead at 8-7. They would hold the lead the rest of the way, finishing the first on a 17-7 run to take the set by a score of 25-14.
 
In the second set, Idaho refused to allow the Pilots to get out in front, and would eventually grab a 20-17 lead. With the Pilots down four, two straight kills from Hoeft pulled the Pilots within 21-23. The Vandals did get to set point from there, but the Pilots responded with a clutch 4-0 run, featuring kills from Reich and senior Katie Barker, completing the rally and taking the second set at 26-24.

Portland would ride their momentum to begin the third set, coming out to a 10-5 lead, thanks to a service ace from Williams. An 8-0 Pilot run led to a sizable 21-10 set lead, mostly thanks to freshman Grace Zilbert as she notched four service aces during the outburst. Idaho would not go out quietly, coming back from being down 10-plus points to grab the lead at 25-24. But Portland once again stayed calm, and responded with a match-clinching 5-2 run, which was fueled by two kills from Reich and Barker.
 
The Portland North Marriott Invite continues tonight with the Pilots hosting a Pacific Northwest neighbor, the Washington State Cougars at 7:00 PM at the Chiles Center. Washington State began the tourney with a 3-1 win over Utah State Friday morning.