PORTLAND, Ore---Three Pilots registered double-doubles in a West Coast Conference volleyball contest between Portland and San Francisco on Friday afternoon, but the Dons escaped the Chiles Center with a 3-2 win. USF claimed the match with set scores of 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 21-25, and 15-11.
 
Freshman Mia Wesley ended the match with an impressive 23 kills and 20 digs, and senior Kellie Hughes dished out 23 assists while providing 12 digs for the Pilots. Sophomore Noelani Helm collected her second double-double in the two-match series with 19 assists and 13 digs on the day.
 
Portland (1-7, 1-7 WCC) got out to an early 10-6 lead to begin the match after Wesley produced two kills during a 4-0 scoring run. Wesley kept the home side in front after two more scores, but San Francisco (5-3, 5-3 WCC) managed to tie the first set at 13-13 before taking the lead soon after. The Dons then found themselves ahead by four, but a kill from freshman Nevaeh Bray and another from Wesley helped the Pilots climb their way back to level the set at 22-22. Back-to-back Wesley kills allowed the Pilots to regain the lead, and the freshman standout secured the set one win for Portland by drilling her 10th kill over the net.
 
The Pilots would jump out to another lead at the start of set two, with kills delivered by Jiana Lawson and Liz Reich, as well as an ace served up from Claire Forrest. Another ace from Hughes helped Portland build a three-point edge at 10-7, but USF would reclaim the lead after a couple of scoring runs. The Pilots managed to close the gap down to one, following kills from Harris, Bray, Reich, and Wesley that put the score at 21-20. Moments later, a second Hughes ace leveled the score coming out of a timeout, but the Dons would close out the set on a 4-0 run to even the match at 1-1.
 
USF took the 2-1 overall lead after three sets, and set four became a battle as both sides traded scores throughout. The Pilots' first significant lead came at 15-13 with attacks from Harris and Wesley, and that advantage extended to three after back-to-back swings from Wesley again. Two Dons' aces brought the set level twice, but Harris' three kills at the very end would seal the set for Portland on a 5-0 run.
 
The Pilots carried some of that energy into the deciding set, but the Dons would answer back each time Portland went out in front. A reviewed play would swing the momentum for San Francisco, and the Dons eventually prevailed 15-11.
 
"We knew it would be another battle today and it was," said head coach Megan Burton. "USF made some adjustments and we responded, but not quick enough. We lost the serve, pass and offensive battle today. And it's going to be hard to beat anyone in our conference if we are unable to control those three things on our side of the net. We started strong but need to continue to stay consistent in our execution level up until the end. It came down to little things this match. We know that and we'll learn from it and fix it. We have another opportunity to get better and that's starts tomorrow in practice."
 
The Pilots embark on their second road trip of the season next week for two matches with Saint Mary's. Those matches are set for Tuesday and Wednesday, both beginning at 2:00 p.m.