PORTLAND, Ore.---The Pilots rallied back from a deficit on two occasions to force a fifth set, although the Saint Mary's Gaels just narrowly escaped the Chiles Center with a 3-2 win in a West Coast Conference volleyball match on Saturday afternoon. SMC claimed the game with set scores of 25-10, 21-25, 25-15, 20-25, and 15-12.
 
Emma Swett led all scorers with 11 kills in the game, marking a new single-match record for the freshman. Paloma Bowman finished with 21 assists, Grace Zilbert added 15 digs, and Jiana Lawson and Chelsey Harmon added four blocks apiece for the Pilots defense.
 
After Saint Mary's (8-6, 2-3 WCC) overcame Portland (4-9, 1-3 WCC) in set one, set two got off to an even start. The teams would tie several times until the Gaels opened the first small lead at 12-9. An attack from Lawson brought the Pilots within two, right before the home side went on a 5-0 run—including kills from Harmon and Swett and an ace served up by Noelani Helm—to swing the score and jump ahead at 16-14. Bowman and Harmon followed with a big block to keep the Pilots out in front, although Saint Mary's came back to draw the frame at 18s. Right after, the home side scored three unanswered points to gain a three-point edge late in the set. A kill from Lawson handed the Pilots the first chance at set point, and Helm drove home the finishing swing which leveled the match at 1-1 overall.
 
The Gaels would lead the game 2-1 at the end of the third frame, and opened the fourth set ahead by four at 6-2. Kills from Helm and Bowman brought the Pilots back within range, although the visitors managed to create some separation again, leading by as many as six at 18-12. Moments later, back-to-back Harmon kills sparked eight points in a row for the Pilots, who retook the lead late in the set at 20-18. Another Harmon kill kept the Pilots in front, and a Zilbert service ace would close out the set to even the match once more at 2-2.
 
Jayde Harris got Portland off to a hot start to begin the final frame, using a kill and her third ace of the day to give the Pilots a 5-1 lead. SMC managed to find their way back in it, and the set tied at both 8s and 9s. The Gaels maintained the slight advantage thereafter, sealing the win on a scrambled last play at the very end.
 
The Pilots hit the road for their next two WCC matchups, seeing the 10th-ranked BYU Cougars on Thursday, October 7th at 6 p.m., before facing the 25th-ranked San Diego Toreros on Saturday, October 9th at noon.