PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of Portland volleyball team will have six newcomers join the program for the 2021 season, announced head coach Megan Burton.

"We graduated an amazing senior class this past spring and had the tall order of trying to fill their shoes. Carey, Liz and Kellie have left the bar extremely high, but we feel we have put together an incoming class of Pilots to continue on their tradition of excellence," Burton said. "This is a stellar incoming class joining us on the Bluff in the fall. We add six outstanding people and elite student athletes to our UPVB family. Charity, Paloma, Alyssa, Emma, Keilani and Gabby will join our eight returning pilots and immediately aid us in our pursuit of a WCC championship. This incoming class provides a solid mix of experience, physicality and high volleyball IQ. Most importantly they are the standard of people we look for to join our UPVB family. They all share the same core values that are foundation of our program – Family, Excellence, Joy and All In. UP community, please help me in welcoming these awesome new Pilots to The Bluff!"

Paloma Bowman, Setter, 5-10, Gr., Vacaville, Calif., Christian Brothers HS/UC Davis

Paloma Bowman joins the Pilots as a grad transfer by way of UC Davis. During her time with the Mustangs, Bowman accumulated several honors with both the indoor and beach team. She was named to the Big West Conference Freshman Team for indoor in 2017 and the 2021 All-Big West First Team for beach in 2021. She and her partner, Colleen McGuire, were just the second pair in UC Davis program history to be named to an all-conference team.

The Vacaville, Calif. native twice won Big West Pairs Team of the Week for beach, doing so in 2019 and in 2021. She and McGuire were also ranked as high as 27^th in the nation during the beach season. The duo's 15 wins were the most by an UC Davis individual or pair in a single season.

"I am thrilled that Paloma has found her new home at the University of Portland," Burton said. "When she was looking for a home to continue her career, there was no doubt that we wanted her to join our UPVB family. Paloma will bring some great playing experience to the setter position. She is a competitor who knows how to win and has an extremely high volleyball IQ. I'm looking forward to seeing her excel in our purple and white."

Charity Bradley, Outside/Opposite Hitter, 6-4, Gr., Murray, Utah, Desert Hills HS/Washington State

Another transfer, Bradley joins the Pilots after spending her undergrad years up in Pullman, Wash. with the Washington State Cougars. Bradley and the Cougars made four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament during her time there. Washington State was a 15-seed in the latest NCAA Tournament. Bradley was a scholar student-athlete all four years in Pullman.

Before playing with the Cougars, the Murray, Utah native earned All-State honorable mention three times and was named the All-Region 9 co-MVP once. She broke the Desert Hills High School program record for digs in a season her senior year with 311 and was also selected to the Senior All-State team her senior year. Bradley is also the daughter of Shawn Bradley, who played in the NBA for 12 seasons with three different teams.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Charity to our UPVB family," Burton said. "We knew from the first phone call that Charity was the right fit for our program. She is a great person and shares the same core values as our UPVB program. Charity will also bring a tremendous amount of physicality to our team. She comes into UP after a solid career at Washington State University and I expect her to complement our team well with her high-level experience. She will do great things for us in this year."

Alyssa Muraoka, Libero, 5-6, Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii, Mid-Pacific Institute

Joining the Pilots from Honolulu, Hawaii, Alyssa Muraoka was an accomplished libero at Mid Pacific High School. She was named to both the 2018 and 2019 ILH State All-Stars Second Team and earned 2018 All-State Honorable Mention honors. The Owls also were the 2018 D2 ILH champions. Muraoka was named the MVP of the Owls in 2019 and 2020 and was also a captain from 2018 to 2020. She holds the school record for most digs in a season with 455.

"Alyssa was our first recruit for the Class of 2021 and we knew early on she would be a good fit for our team," Burton said. "She's a great person, an excellent scholar and an amazing competitor. Alyssa joins us from Hawaii and will bring with her an elite level of ball control and defensive skills. Alyssa grew up around the game of volleyball and is what we would call a 'gym rat' – If there's an opportunity to play volleyball, Alyssa will be there. We love her passion and intensity for the game. I look forward to having her compete and contribute to strengthening our ball control this upcoming season."

Emma Swett, Middle Blocker, 6-1, Fr., Woodland, Wash., Woodland HS

From just up north in Woodland, Wash., Emma Swett joins the Pilots after an accomplished high school career. She was the first player from Southwest Washington to be selected as the Gatorade State Volleyball Player of the Year this past season while also earning first team all-league honors. She led the Woodland High School Beavers to a league championship in 2017, a second-place finish at districts in both 2019 and 2021 and a sixth-place finish at state in 2019.
Swett was on the 2020 AVCA Under Armour All-America watch list while also being named the All-Region Volleyball Player of the Year.

"Emma joins us from just across the river in Washington and we are so excited to have her at the University of Portland," Burton said. "From our first conversation, I immediately knew she was the right person to join our team.  She has an infectious and joyous energy that will mesh well with the personality of our team. Emma represents the standard of excellence in the classroom, on the court and in the community that we expect from our players. She earned the Washington State Gatorade Player of
the Year award and I'm looking forward to her bringing that elite level of competition to the Bluff this year."

Keilani Mumolo, Libero, 5-7, Fr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., St. Lucy's Priory HS

Keilani Mumolo joins the Pilots as a true freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. The libero earned several honors during her time at St. Lucy's Priory High School, being named All-Baseline First Team and Second Team during her time with the Regents and earning two CIF appearances. She was named the team's most valuable player, the defensive MVP and earned the Captain's Award during her time. She holds the St. Lucy's Priory school record for most digs in a single season at 455.

"We are so fired up to have Keilani join our UPVB family," Burton said. "Keilani is a go-getter in every facet of her life. She brings with her that competitive fire and gritty sense of competing. Keilani is a competitor through and through and wants to win – I love her determination and will. She comes from a high-level volleyball club in SoCal and will bring some steady ball control to our back-row group. I'm excited to see what she does in our purple and white."

Gabby Quach, Setter, 5-9, Fr., San Francisco, Calif., Lowell HS
Gabby Quach joins the Pilots as a true freshman from San Francisco, Calif. Quach helped lead the Lowell High School Cardinals to some hardware in the 2019 season. The Cardinals were the CIF San Francisco champions, the CIF Northern California Division III champions and the CIF State Division 3 champions that year. They went a perfect 14-0 in league play and 7-0 in postseason play. That season, she also earned CIF SF Division I All-League Honorable Mention.

"Gabby joins us from San Francisco and continues a long tradition of Pilot volleyball players from the Bay Area," Burton said. "She is a stellar student and high achiever both on and off the court. Gabby is an outstanding person and we are very happy she has found her new home on the Bluff with our UPVB family."

Along with these six newcomers, the Pilots return eight players from last season's roster.