PORTLAND, Ore.---The Portland Pilots volleyball program will begin the 2021 West Coast Conference season this week, welcoming the 16th-ranked BYU Cougars to the Chiles Center on Tuesday and Wednesday for matches scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. on both days.
 
Live stats and live video streams will be available for both matches on PortlandPilots.com.
 
The Pilots went 1-1 in their first two exhibition matches in the previous weeks, competing closely with the eighth-ranked Washington Huskies in Seattle before sweeping the Corban Warriors at home on Friday.
 
Sophomore Jayde Harris has tied for a team high 11 kills in both exhibition matches, first with newcomer Mia Wesley against the Huskies, and next with freshman Jiana Lawson against the Warriors. Freshman middle blocker Nevaeh Bray has also made an impact so far, chipping in with 10 kills and five blocks in the Corban match.
 
BYU is projected to finish second in this year's WCC Preseason Poll, the same spot where they ended last season at (26-5, 16-2) before making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Portland will be looking for their first win since 2016 against BYU, when the Pilots beat the Cougars 3-2 in an exhilarating match in front of a packed crowd at the Chiles Center.
 
"It's a great way to start off conference play, with BYU at home," said head coach Megan Burton. "BYU is a good squad, but we just need to focus on our side of the net and take care of business…serve tough, take care of first contacts and consistently compete at a high level. As with every match in the WCC, you have to bring your A game and I know our squad will do just that tomorrow."