MORAGA, Calif. -- The Pilots lost to the Saint Mary's Gaels 3-2 (25-18, 15-25, 25-22, 20-25, 12-15) Saturday on the road at UCU Pavilion.The loss dropped Portland's record to 10-10 overall and 5-4 in WCC play.
The Pilots offense was paced by Lucia Busso, who finished with 16 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .464. Elin Larsson added 16 and Maui Robins chipped in with 13 as part of balanced Portland attack. Defensively, Portland had two players reach double figures in digs as Tinoa Woodward-Hart had 15 and Jeryn Hildenbrand had 12.
Game Notes
» Portland had three players in double figures in kills.
» Jeryn Hildenbrand had a team-high one ace in the loss.
» Lucia Busso had a team-high 16 kills for Portland, one shy from her career-high of 17.
» Portland got a match-high 15 digs from Tinoa Woodward-Hart.
» Portland attackers were helped by a match-high 45 assists from Havannah Hoeft.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Pilots grabbed the first set 25-18 thanks to a strong performance on the attacking side. Portland put together a .313 attack percentage with 14 kills in the set victory. The Pilots opened up a 20-10 lead and coasted to victory from there. Portland also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | Portland lost the second set 25-15 to tie the match 1-1. The Pilots fell behind on the first point and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set.
SET 3 | Portland then got back on the winning track, emerging victorious in set three and taking a two sets to one lead in the match. The Pilots won the set 25-22 thanks to a strong performance on the attacking side. Portland registered a .464 attack percentage with 15 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands seven times, the Pilots took control for good at 18-17 and rode that advantage to victory. Portland's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Saint Mary's attacks in the set.
SET 4 | Portland couldn't finish off a four-set win as the Gaels forced a fifth set with a 25-20 victory. The Pilots trailed by as many as nine points as Saint Mary's (CA) grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 and Portland was never able to recover in a set that was tied up five times before the Gaels took over the lead.
SET 5 | Portland and Saint Mary's went back and forth all game, trading wins in the first three sets until the Gaels took the final two sets, including winning the fifth set 15-12, and the match. The Pilots came up short in a back-and-forth set five, losing in a stanza that featured three lead changes and was tied five times. Neither team led by more than three points in the set.
