PORTLAND, Ore. -- With three Pilots finishing in double figures in kills, Portland pushed WCC-perfect San Diego to five sets before falling 3-2 (26-24, 17-25, 15-25, 25-23, 10-15) on Senior Day at the Chiles Center. The Pilots battled back to force a fifth set, but the Toreros held on to remain unbeaten in conference play. Portland moves to 12-14 overall and 7-8 in WCC action.

The Pilots offense was paced by senior Elin Larsson, who finished with 15 kills on the day. Lucia Busso added 11 and Taina Kaauwai chipped in with 10 as part of balanced Portland attack. Defensively, had two players reach double figures in digs as Maui Robins had 16 and Jeryn Hildenbrand had 11. From the front row, Busso contributed five blocks and Nevaeh Bray added five rejections.

Game Notes
» Portland had three players in double figures in kills: Elin Larsson (15), Lucia Busso (11) and Taina Kaauwai (10).
» Taina Kaauwai was efficient in attacking situations in the match, accumulating 10 kills while hitting .500.
» Lucia Busso had a match high three aces while Portland got a match-high 16 digs from Maui Robins.
» Portland never trailed on the way to winning the first set 26-24.
» Portland attackers were helped by a team-high 44 assists from Havannah Hoeft.

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Pilots grabbed control on the first point and never looked back to win the first set 26-24. Portland led by as many as four points at 12-8 before finishing off the set. Portland also supplemented their offense with four aces in the opening set.

SET 2 | Portland dropped set two 25-17 to even the match 1-1. The Pilots fell behind early and fought from behind the rest of the way before dropping the set.

SET 3 | Portland lost again in the third set to make it a 2-1 deficit. The Pilots lost a tough set 25-15. Portland trailed by as many as 10 points as San Diego grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was knotted up four times before the Toreros took over the lead.

SET 4 | Portland broke their two set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-23 victory in set number four. The Pilots persevered in a back-and-forth set to win in a set that featured three lead changes and was tied 11 times. Neither team was able to grab a lead larger than four points along the way. Portland also supplemented their offense with three aces in the set.

SET 5 | After dropping sets two and three, Portland won set four, tying things up at 2-2 to force a fifth set, but couldn't complete the comeback, losing the set 15-10 and the match 3-2. 

Up Next
The Pilots hit the road next week, taking on Washington State in Pullman on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m. (PST), before heading to Spokane to face Gonzaga on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 12:00 p.m. (PST). Both matches will stream on ESPN+, with live stats available on PortlandPilots.com.

---

Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.