Portland Pilots (5-12, 2-6 WCC)
vs. Loyola Marymount and #25 Pepperdine
 
Loyola Marymount Lions (14-4, 5-3 WCC)
Day: Thursday
Date: Oct. 21, 2021
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Facility: Chiles Center
Stats: portlandpilots.com
Video: portlandpilots.com
 
POR vs. LMU
Overall Series: 10-59
H: 8-28 • A: 2-30 • N: 0-1
Last: POR 1, @LMU 3 (2.9.21)
 
#25 Pepperdine Waves (13-4, 5-3 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Oct. 23, 2021
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Facility: Chiles Center
Stats: portlandpilots.com
Video: portlandpilots.com
 
POR vs. PEP
Overall Series: 6-63
H: 4-31 • A: 2-32 • N: 0-0
Last: POR 0, @PEP 3 (9.28.21)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots continue their homestead with two more West Coast Conference matches against Loyola Marymount and No. 25 Pepperdine.
• Portland will first play host to the Lions on Thursday, October 21, at 6 p.m.
• The Pilots will then welcome the 25th-ranked Waves to the Chiles Center on Saturday, October 23 at 12 p.m.
• Saturday's game also marks this year's Dig Pink promotional event, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. The first 50 fans to arrive at the Chiles Center will also receive a free pink beaded necklace to celebrate the cause, and a link to make donations to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of the Pilots volleyball program will be available on game day.
• Live stats and live video for both matches will be provided at PortlandPilots.com.

LAST WEEK
• The Pilots split a pair of home matches, being overcome 2-3 by Santa Clara on Thursday before clenching a reverse sweep against San Francisco on Saturday.
• Chelsey Harmon, Noelani Helm, and Alyssa Muraoka each registered new single-match highs against the Dons with 16 kills, 30 assists, and 15 digs, respectively.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Megan Burton enters her second year as the head coach of the Pilots volleyball program, with assistant coaches Aven Lee and Dylan Hamilton also returning for the 2021 season.
• The Pilots also bring back seven letter winners from the spring 2021 West Coast Conference season.
• The program welcomes four true freshmen to The Bluff this fall in Alyssa Muraoka, Gabby Quach, Emma Swett, and Keilani Mumolo.
• Portland has also added graduate transfer Charity Bradley out of Washington State to their roster ahead of fall competition.
• The Pilots saw three significant contributors graduate at the end of last year in setter Kellie Hughes, All-WCC outside hitter Liz Reich, and second-place all-time career digs leader Carey Williams.
• Outside hitter Jayde Harris has been the team's most productive scorer this season, leading the Pilots with 174 kills while averaging 2.85 per set.
• Through 17 matches the team has produced averages of 10.34 kills per set, 9.52 assists per set, and 11.72 digs per set.
• Noelani Helm leads the Pilots in assists with 297, and is third on the team in kills with 86.
• Junior libero Grace Zibert is Portland's team leader in digs, with 174 this fall.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• LMU dropped a couple of matches at home last week—their first two home losses of the year—being outdone by #8 BYU 1-3 before falling in five sets to #22 San Diego.
• Kari Geissberger leads the Lions in kills with 276, while averaging 3.89 per set, and ranks second in the West Coast Conference in both categories.
• Isabella Bareford has already accumulated 737 assists for LMU, and has the third highest assists per set average in the WCC, generating 10.38.
• Mary Shroll is the Lions' team-leader in digs this season with 212.
• No. 25 Pepperdine is also coming off of a two-loss week, losing 2-3 to USD and 1-3 to BYU.
• Rachel Ahrens leads the Waves in kills with 310, good for 16th in the NCAA, and the outside hitter's 4.49 kills per set average places her first in the WCC. Ahrens also enters the week with the highest service aces per set average in the conference.
• Madison Shields' 261 digs on the year and 3.78 digs average--the highest of any Pepperdine player--both currently rank fourth in the WCC.
• Isabel Zelaya is the conference individual leader in assists per set this year, dishing out an average of 10.68, and having already collected 737 total assists for the team.