PORTLAND, Ore.---The Portland Pilots volleyball team is headed to Seattle for a meeting with the Washington Huskies, which is the first of two scheduled exhibition matches ahead of their 2021 spring season. The match with the Huskies will take place on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.at Alaska Airlines Arena.
 
Live stats and live video will not be available for the match.
 
Portland will be led this season by first-year head coach Megan Burton, who took over the program last January.
 
"Tomorrow we get our first chance to compete in over a year," said Burton. "We've had about a week of practice and the team has been working hard and getting better every day. I want to say thank you to the awesome UP staff; they've done a fantastic job keeping us safe. We're excited about the opportunity to put on the Pilot jersey and face someone new across the net."
 
This exhibition match marks the first meeting between the Pilots and the Huskies since 2012.
 
"The University of Washington is an established program and every year the Huskies compete for a National Championship," added Burton. "There's a lot of connections between the two programs. Coach Keegan Cook is a good friend and I'm grateful he's asked us to face off against his Huskies."
 
This year's roster features five newcomers, while returning eight members from last year's team, including All-WCC honoree Liz Reich.
 
"We've got a well-rounded squad this year; the youth of our five freshman compliments the experience of our veterans," said Burton. "I'm fortunate for the leadership of our three amazing seniors, Kellie, Liz, and Carey. They have really pushed this squad to another level. This team continues to battle through adversity and I expect that same resilience this weekend. We're heading up to UW to play against one of the best teams in the nation. And it will certainly prepare us for the tough WCC conference season head of us. It's a great way to welcome back Portland volleyball!"
 
The Pilots will host their second and final exhibition match at home on Friday, January 22nd, before beginning the conference season against BYU on January 26th.