PORTLAND, Ore.---The Pilots battled it out with northwest rivals Gonzaga on Sunday, beating the Zags in a close first set before the Bulldogs rallied back for a 3-1 win in a West Coast Conference volleyball match held at the Chiles Center. Gonzaga claimed the match with set scores of 23-25, 25-21, 26-24, and 25-11.

Mia Wesley led all scorers with a game-high 17 kills, and nabbed her fifth double-double this season, finishing with 18 digs. Jayde Harris contributed 14 kills in the match, and Claire Forrest also pitched in 10 of her own for the Pilots. Kellie Hughes dished out a total of 27 assists, and Carey Williams came up with 27 digs for the Portland defense. Williams is the current second-place all-time individual career record holder in program history in the category.

The first set started tight as both teams racked up early kills, and the score was tied six different times before the Pilots (2-14, 2-14 WCC) found the first slight edge at 9-7, provided by a score from Harris and a Wesley service ace. Portland managed to extend their lead to three after another ace served up by Hughes, and back-to-back Harris points put the Pilots out in front by four at 19-15. Harris and Chelsey Harmon added more attacks for the home team, and a nice touch from Wesley eventually handed the Pilots their first chance at set point. A Gonzaga (7-11, 7-11 WCC) service error helped to close out the set win for Portland.

The Pilots jumped out to a 4-2 lead to open the second frame, but the Bulldogs climbed back to level it at 5s and found their first lead shortly after at 8-7. A kill from Wesley and another from Harris allowed the Pilots to reclaim the lead at 10-9. A small Portland run pushed their advantage out to three, but Gonzaga answered with a 6-1 run of their own to go back ahead at 18-15 and force the Pilots to call timeout. The Zags came out of the break with some of the same momentum, and a Forrest score and Wesley ace looked to spark the Pilots' offense, but in the end Gonzaga's cushion held them over to seal the set and level the match at 1-1 overall.

Portland got off to another hot start to begin the third frame, and maintained some control throughout the set, using two kills each from Wesley and Forrest to create a three-point gap at 16-13. Gonzaga eventually came back to regain the lead at 18-17, but Harmon produced two scores that would tie the set at both 19s and 20s. Another 3-0 Pilots run sparked by a Reich-Harmon block and a kill from Wesley put the home side in front by one late down the wire, but ultimately it was the Zags coming out on top after forcing the extra points.

Gonzaga carried that energy into the final frame, building a few sizable runs to secure the match after just four sets.

"We played hard today and showed what this team is capable of when we put everything together on our side of the net," said head coach Megan Burton. "It's been a challenging season and I'm so proud of this team for sticking together and grinding it out. Every match we competed and every match we got better. What a blessing it's been to be able to safely compete this year."

Sunday marked the last time three Pilots would don the Portland uniform, and Kellie Hughes, Liz Reich, and Carey Williams were all sent off with a post-match ceremony honoring their time in the Pilots volleyball program.

"I'm beyond grateful to our seniors for everything they have given to this Portland program," said Burton. "In a year of uncertainty they provided stability and are truly the foundation of our team. What an amazing group of strong, intelligent and kind young women. They leave a legacy of excellence for this Pilot program and I cannot say enough how much we will miss each of them. But this is only the beginning as they continue on to new and wonderful endeavors in their futures. Carey, Kellie and Liz  Mahalo Nui Loa. Go Pilots!"