PORTLAND, Ore.---The Pilots won sets one and two before Santa Clara was able to rally back for a 3-2 win in a West Coast Conference volleyball match at the Chiles Center on Thursday evening. The Broncos collected the game with set scores of 21-25, 25-27, 25-22, 25-15, and 15-11.
 
Jayde Harris ended the night with a team-high 15 kills, Noelani Helm was just shy of a double-double with 26 assists and nine digs, and Grace Zilbert added 17 digs for the home side. Graduate outside hitter Charity Bradley produced a solid all-around performance against the Broncos, finishing with seven kills, nine digs, three blocks and an ace.
 
It was an even match to start, after Nevaeh Bray sent over two scores and Harris served up an ace which leveled the Pilots (4-12, 1-6 WCC) 4-4 with Santa Clara (6-11, 2-5 WCC) early in set one. The Broncos gained a four-point edge at 9-5, and Chlesey Harmon answered with an attack which brought Portland back within two at 9-7. SCU managed to create some separation again shortly after, leading by as many as five at 16-11. Moments later, the Pilots put together a solid run with a kill from Helm, another from Emma Swett, and a block assisted by Swett and Harmon which kept the Pilots close—only down by one. A Bradley attack eventually tied the set at 17s, and the Utah native followed that up with another critical kill to swing the score and push the Pilots back in front at 19-18. Harmon hammered home another kill right after that, and that's when Harris found her scoring touch to generate Portland's next three kills, closing out the set with an ace to hand the Pilots the 1-0 lead heading into the second frame.
 
Portland jumped out to a 3-0 lead to open set two, stretching that lead to four after back-to-back Harris kills. The Pilots managed their advantage in the rallies to follow, and two aces from Bray allowed the team in white to stay in front at 10-6. Santa Clara came back to draw the set at 10s, and again at 13s, until a kill and a solo block from Harmon helped Portland create a three-point gap soon after. A couple of clutch scores from Helm helped Portland maintain control of the set, and the Pilots earned the first set point opportunity at 24-22. The Broncos put on some pressure near the end to force the extra points, but a Harris kill and a block from Bray and Helm closed out the frame to hand the Pilots the 2-0 lead going into set three.
 
SCU was able to come back and draw the match at 2-2 overall after sets three and four, forcing a fifth and final installment.
 
The Pilots took a 2-0 lead on a Harmon score to begin set five, and Bradley added another before Santa Clara turned the score in their favor at 4-3. The Broncos found a three-point cushion then after, but the Pilots climbed their way back in it with a swing from Swett and a Zilbert service ace which tied the score 7-7. SCU built another small lead shortly following, forcing Portland to call timeout. Bray looked to give the home team some energy coming out of the break, producing both a score and a block assisted by Bradley to set the score at 12-10 Santa Clara. The Broncos closed out the game with three unanswered points to complete their comeback win.
 
Harmon collected eight kills and five blocks total against SCU, notching new single-match records in both categories for the sophomore out of Puyallup, Wash.
 
The Pilots amassed 14 aces in the game, with four of those coming off the hand of Bray.

"Hard fought battle tonight against Santa Clara," said head coach Megan Burton. "We started off very strong tonight but struggled to maintain our offense throughout the night. We made too many attack errors and in the end it cost us the match. But we continue to create opportunities to win and we are learning how to execute in those high pressure moments. I know we will learn from tonight and come out ready to give our best against USF this Saturday."

Portland returns to action on Saturday when they host the San Francisco Dons for an afternoon matchup, starting at 12 p.m.