PORTLAND, ORE – The Portland Pilots finished the Portland North Marriott Invite with a comeback victory over Utah State, winning in five sets this Saturday afternoon. They came back from being down 1-2 in sets, with scores of 25-14, 18-25, 17-25, 25-20 and 15-4.
 
Senior Shayla Hoeft led the match in kills with a season-high of 21, along with a .515 hitting percentage and five total blocks. Junior Liz Reich wasn't far behind, having 19 kills, and junior Carey Williams had a season-high 32 digs.   
 
The first set began with the Pilots coming out hot, going on a 6-0 run to force an early Aggies timeout with Portland gaining a 10-4 lead. Hoeft and Reich would both notch four kills in the first, keeping the Pilots in front as they took the first set, the score 25-19.
 
Utah State would not allow Portland to ride their momentum, with both teams trading the lead to begin the second set. With the Pilots up at 11-9, the Aggies would go on a 9-2 run to come out in front and went on to take the second set at 25-18.
 
The third set would start the same as the second, with both squads never allowing the other to get out ahead early. The Aggies eventually separate themselves, going up 17-14 thanks to a Pilot attacking error. Portland kept fighting, closing the gap to as close as 16-17. The Aggies responded immediately with a 5-0 run, and would go on to take the third set at 25-17. 
 
Refusing to go down, the Pilots responded quickly to begin the fourth set by going on an 8-3 run. Not to be outdone, the Aggies answered with a 6-0 run, retaking the lead at 11-9. It was the last time they held the lead in the fourth, as the Pilots answered once again with a 6-0 run of their own, featuring two service aces from junior Kellie Hughes. The Pilots went on to take the fourth set, the score 25-20.

In the fifth and final set, Hoeft came up clutch for the Pilots: she earned three kills and two total blocks, earning more points (five) than the Aggies did (four). Thanks to Hoeft's efforts, the Pilots safely secured the fifth set, completing the comeback with a set score of 15-4.

For their efforts throughout the weekend, Hoeft and Williams were nominated to the PNMI All-Tournament Team. Hoeft had 43 kills and eight total blocks, while Williams had 59 digs and 12 assists.
 
The Pilots will fly to New Mexico next weekend, competing in the NMSU Invitational along with hosts New Mexico State, Grambling State and Lamar from Sept. 13^th-14^th.