PORTLAND, Ore.---25th-ranked Pepperdine held off Portland by a 3-0 margin in a West Coast Conference volleyball match at the Chiles Center on Saturday afternoon, sealing the game with set scores of 25-12, 25-21, and 15-14.
 
Jayde Harris led the Pilots' offense with seven kills, connecting on 13 attempts to end with a .462 attack rate. Noelani Helm and Gabby Quach provided 10 assists each, and Helm and Alyssa Muraoka came up with eight digs apiece on the day.
 
Pepperdine (15-4, 7-3 WCC) jumped out to a 8-2 start to open the game, with Portland's (5-14, 2-8 WCC) opening scores coming off of swings from Jiana Lawson and Charity Bradley. The Waves managed a steady lead throughout the set, until a Harris service ace looked to spark a Pilots comeback with three unanswered scores for the home side. But Pepperdine would respond with two small runs of their own near the end of the frame to secure the set win.
 
The Pilots brought some fight straight into set two, with back-to-back Harris attacks leveling the score early at 2s. Pepperdine then gained an edge at 5-3, but a Helm kill shortly following kept the Pilots close. The Waves maintained a slight advantage then after, but a block from Lawson and freshman Emma Swett helped the Pilots stay within range. Moments later, Harris and Helm would convert again, finding Portland only down by one at 11-10. Pepperdine responded by extending their lead to as many as five in the set, until Lawson rallied the Pilots back in it with a kill and a block assisted with Claire Forrest to bring them within one at 19-18. That's when Harris produced two scores in a row to tie the frame 20-20, and again at 21-21 to keep it tight late in the set. But the Waves would close it out on a 4-0 run to go ahead 2-0 overall going into the third installment.
 
Pepperdine eventually used that momentum to generate an 11-0 run in the middle of set three, holding on through the end in order to seal the match for a 3-0 win.

Rachel Ahrens finished with a match-high 15 kills for the Waves, and Grace Chillingworth added 12 more for the visitors.

Portland hits the road next week for a couple of matches in California, first stopping in Moraga for a contest with Saint Mary's on Thursday, October 28th at 7 p.m.