PORTLAND PILOTS (7-3, 0-0 WCC) 
WEEK 5: Saint Mary's Gaels and Oregon State Beavers
 
Saint Mary's Gaels
(4-5, 0-0 WCC) 
Day: Thursday
Date: Sept. 26, 2024  
Place: Portland, Ore. 
Time: 6 P.M. (PST) 
Facility: Chiles Center
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com 

POR vs. SMC
Overall Series: 8-42
Last: L 2-3 (2023) 
 
Oregon State Beavers
(2-8, 0-0 WCC) 
Day: Saturday
Date: Sept. 28, 2024 
Place: Portland, Ore.
Time: 1 P.M. (PST) 
Facility: Chiles Center
Video: PortlandPilots.com
Stats: PortlandPilots.com 

POR vs. OSU
Overall Series: 2-9
Last: L 0-3 (2022) 
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots return home this week to kick off conference play at the Chiles Center. They face the Saint Mary's Gaels in the opener on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m., followed by a matchup against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m.
• Live stats, live video and tickets for each match can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots fell in a weekend series to the CSUN Matadors.
• Lia Hawken led the Pilots' offense with 34 kills and 40.5 points over the weekend.
• Defensively, Tinoa Woodward-Hart led the Pilots in digs, recording a career-high 23 digs on Sept. 20 and a team-high 15 digs on Sept. 21.
 
THIS SEASON
• The Pilots opened conference play in third-place standing with a 7-3 record.
•  Several Pilots players are ranked across multiple categories on the WCC Overall Statistics Leaderboard: Maui Robins is third in kills (139), service aces (19), and points (170.5); Taina Kaauwai ranks second in hitting percentage (.374) and fifth in blocks (42.0); Havannah Hoeft is third in assists (429); and Tinoa Woodward-Hart ranks fifth in digs (145).
• Through the first eight matches, the Pilots had a 7-1 record, marking their best start since 2018 and their second best start ever in program history.
• Robins has registered four double-doubles while Hoeft has recorded eight double-doubles so far this season.
• Woodward-Hart leads the team in digs with 145.
• Kaauwai is the team leader in blocks, totaling 42.0.
• Hoeft was named the Credit Union One WCC Freshman of the Week for Week 2 of the 2024 season.
• The Portland Pilots had a strong showing at the UCI/adidas Invitational, finishing with a 2-1 record. Lucia Busso and Woodward-Hart were named to the 2024 UCI/adidas Invitational All-Tournament Team.
• Hoeft recorded a match-high 61 assists on Friday, Aug. 30 against Bethune-Cookman, the most in a single match since 2018.
• Robins won the first Credit Union One WCC Offensive Player of the Week to kick off the 2024 season.
• The Pilots went undefeated (3-0) at The Bethune-Cookman Bash at The Beach. Robins and Kaauwai were named to the 2024 Bash at The Beach All-Tournament Team, with Robins earning MVP honors.
• Robins was selected to the 2024 All-WCC Preseason Team.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Megan Burton enters her fifth year as the head coach of the Pilots volleyball program, with assistant coaches Dylan Hamilton, Kyle Homeyer and Remi Pourrat also returning for the 2024 season.
• The Pilots also bring back 12 letter winners from the fall 2023 season.
• The program welcomes five true freshmen to The Bluff this fall in Sydney Cazimero, Amiyah Eason, Maelle Corbach, Tinoa Woodward-Hart and Alana Villela.
• Portland will be looking to captains Maui Robins and Lia Hawken to lead the team to new heights in the 2024 season.
• Robins was named to 2023 All-WCC Second Team and earned a spot on the 2024 All-WCC Preseason team, spearheaded by her outstanding performances last year. Robins led the conference in services aces (39) and second in kills (363) and points (422.5).
• Hawken plays a crucial front-line role, ranking among the top for the Pilots in kills, points and blocks.
• Returning players Taina Kaauwai and Elin Larsson will remain key contributors to the Pilots' lineup. Both earned 2023 All-WCC honors, with Kaauwai securing a spot on the Freshman Team and Larsson receiving honorable mention.
• The Pilots led the WCC in the 2023 season in service aces (197).
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• Saint Mary's began their 2024 season with a 4-5 record. Redshirt junior outside hitter Genevieve Bane led the Gaels' offense with 101 kills and 120.5 points overall.
• Oregon State had a 2-8 record to start their 2024 season. The Beavers' offense is led by junior outside hitter Lauren Rumel with 127 kills and 142.5 points overall.
 

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