BOZEMAN, Mont.---It was a close contest at the start, yet the Arkansas Razorbacks were able to hold off Portland 3-0 in the Pilots' third volleyball match at the Bobcat Classic on Saturday morning. This was the inaugural meeting between the two schools, and Arkansas went undefeated at the tournament after collecting set scores of 25-17, 25-13, and 25-19 on the day.
 
Newcomer Emma Swett led the Pilots in kills with five, Paloma Bowman distributed 11 assists, and Grace Zilbert added 11 digs.
 
Portland (3-3, 0-0 WCC) opened the game with a small edge on the Razorbacks (5-1, 0-0 SEC) after a kill from Jayde Harris, but Arkansas soon swung the advantage at 3-2. Noelani Helm sent an attack to tie the game at 3s, and the Razorbacks responded by creating a two-point gap shortly following. The Pilots answered with three scores including a service ace from Helm to take the lead back at 7-6, and the set would draw again at 8s. Chelsey Harmon drove home a kill to push Portland in front once more, but a 4-0 Razorbacks run gave Arkansas some momentum which they would hold on to in order to go ahead 1-0 after the first frame.
 
The Pilots put on the pressure to open the second installment with a kill from Nevaeh Bray and two more from Ryann Gregg, although the Razorbacks built a cushion through the middle they would carry until the end to close out the set.
 
Arkansas jumped out in front to begin set three, but scores from Harris and Swett brought the Pilots within one at 3-4. The Razorbacks maintained a slight edge then after, but Helm and Bowman kept the Pilots in it, again finding themselves down by one at 6-7. The Pilots continued to rally back each time Arkansas went ahead, and the set stayed tight until the Razorbacks were able to break away near the middle of the frame. A 3-0 Portland run fueled by back-to-back Swett kills looked to spark a comeback from the team in purple, but Arkansas would eventually secure the set to prevail over the Pilots at Shroyer Gymnasium.

"We struggled this morning and Arkansas came out firing on all cylinders," said head coach Megan Burton. "Pre-season scheduling is tough and the turnaround from last night to this morning is a grind physically and mentally. I thought the team did a good job coming out ready to go but we are a bit banged up physically."

"It was great to see some of our new players step into different roles this morning with the lineup changes," said Burton. "This morning's match showed us a lot of things we need to continue to get better at and we'll get back to work on Monday."

Jayde Harris and Paloma Bowman were also named to the Bobcat Classic All-Tournament team following the completion of the weekend. Harris notched a new single-match career-high of 18 kills in yesterday's game against Montana State, and leads the Pilots in attacks this season with 64. Bowman registered a double-double against the Bobcats with 18 assists and 15 digs, adding eight kills while converting on a .412 hitting percentage.

The Pilots return home next week for a city showdown with Portland State on Thursday, September 9th at Viking Pavilion, set to begin at 7:00 p.m. Portland will also face UTEP on Saturday, September 10, and Grand Canyon on Sunday, September 11 at the tournament hosted by PSU.