BOZEMAN, Mont.---The Pilots produced some good spells of play, but eventually Utah State was able to hold Portland off by a 3-0 margin in game one of the Bobcat Classic at Shroyer Gymnasium on Friday morning. The Aggies collected the win with set scores of 25-19, 27-25, and 25-18.
 
Outside hitter Ryann Gregg produced a team-high 10 kills in the match, graduate setter Paloma Bowman provided 19 assists, and junior Grace Zilbert came up with 10 digs for the Pilots defense.
 
Attacks from Jiana Lawson, Bowman, and Gregg handed the Pilots (2-2, 0-0 WCC) a 4-3 lead to open the match, but Utah State (3-1, 0-0 MW) managed to gain the advantage soon after by scoring three unanswered. Portland leveled the score at 6s and again at 7s with more kills from Gregg and Bowman, although the Aggies would find a two-point margin shortly following. USU only built on that lead through the rest of the set, using a 5-0 run to create some separation between the two teams in the middle of the frame. The Pilots looked to spark a comeback on a 3-0 run of their own after a score from Bowman, yet eventually the Aggies prevailed to go ahead 1-0.
 
Utah State jumped out to a 5-3 lead to begin the second set, but a Gregg kill and a Lawson ace soon tied the frame 5-5. Portland found themselves in another two-point deficit just a short time after, and back to back attacks from Helm and Gregg evened the score once more at seven-all. Moments later, a 4-0 Pilots run including two blocks assisted by Harris helped Portland gain the lead at 12-9. Portland maintained a three-point cushion through the middle of the set, until the Aggies were able to move the score in their favor at 21-19. A Zilbert service ace brought the teams even, and a Harris swing helped put the Pilots ahead by one at 23-22. Harris executed again to tie the set 24-24, as did Gregg at 25s, but the Aggies closed out the set for the 2-0 advantage on the match.
 
The third set was tight through the first half, but a solid Aggies run would be all that was needed for Utah State to claim the win.
 
"This morning we came out flat and it took us a while to find our groove offensively," said head coach Megan Burton. "We responded well in the second set, but Utah State made some good plays down the stretch."
 
"We served well but need to continue to steady out our serve receive," said Burton. "We had moments today of playing at our level but we never quite found our rhythm and that affected the consistency in our game. We know what we need to work on and will look to bounce back this evening against a good Montana State team."
 
The Pilots will play in their second match of today's double-header against the Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. Live stats will be available to follow at PortlandPilots.com, and the game will also be streamed on ESPN+.