PORTLAND PILOTS (4-11)
WEEK 6: West Coast Challange
 
Pepperdine (13-9)
Day: Friday
Date: Mar. 27, 2026
Place: Santa Cruz, Calif.
Time: 10 A.M
Facility: Main Beach

POR vs. PEPP
Overall Series: 0-3
Last: L 0-5
Santa Clara (13-9)
Day: Friday
Date: Mar. 27, 2026
Place: Santa Cruz, Calif.
Time: 12 P.M
Facility: Main Beach

POR vs. SCU
Overall Series: 1-7
Last: L 0-5
 
THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots travel to Santa Cruz, Calif., for Week 6 competition at the West Coast Challenge, where they are set to play three duals across Friday and Saturday at Main Beach.
• On Friday, Mar. 27, the Pilots will open the day against Pepperdine (13-9) at 10 a.m., followed by a matchup with Santa Clara (13-9) at 12 p.m.
• The Pilots will wrap up the weekend with one additional dual on Saturday, Mar. 28, with the opponent and time TBD.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Portland Pilots dropped both matches of a doubleheader against the Oregon Ducks on Friday, with Oregon earning consecutive 5-0 victories.
• In the opening dual, Portland pushed multiple courts to three sets, highlighted by the No. 1 pair of Sarah Incitti and Tate Mercer, who won the first set before falling 22-24, 21-16, 15-12. In flight 2, Leonie Freytag and Elin Larsson also battled in a tightly contested match, taking the opening set 28-26 before Oregon rallied for a three-set win. At the No. 3 flight, Valerie Bruk and Michela Strati opened with a 21-19 set victory but ultimately fell in three. Oregon secured the team win with straight-set victories on courts four and five.
• In the second match, Oregon again claimed a 5-0 decision. Incitti and Mercer competed at the top flight but fell in straight sets, while Freytag and Larsson forced a third set at No. 2 before coming up short 15-9. The Ducks controlled the remaining courts with straight-set wins at Nos. 3, 4, and 5 to complete the sweep.
• Portland battled through a pair of duals against Oregon on Friday, falling 4-1 in both matchups at the Pilots' home courts.
• Portland was led by the duo of Leonie Freytag and Elin Larsson, who accounted for the Pilots' point in each dual. In the opening match, the pair secured a straight-set win at the No. 2 position, defeating Oregon's AJ Slojkowski and Josie Griffiths, 21-16, 21-15.
• They followed with another strong performance in the second dual, this time at the top spot. Freytag and Larsson outlasted Oregon's Liz Rossi and Bella Gamache in a tightly contested three-set battle, 21-23, 21-18, 17-15, showcasing composure down the stretch.
• Across the lineup, the Pilots showed fight in several close contests. Michela Strati and Valerie Bruk pushed their match to extra points in the first dual, while the No. 3 pair again forced a third set in the second dual, highlighting Portland's competitiveness despite the final scores.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Dylan Hamilton steps into his third year as the lead coach of the beach volleyball program, with assistant coach Kili Robins returning to the Bluff for her second season. Joining the program is Madi Culp, volunteer assistant coach.
• The Pilots return six players from last year's roster: Michela Strati, Valerie Bruk, Elizabeth Ortiz, Melissa Cormack, Leonie Freytag and Hannah Debban.
• The beach volleyball program welcomes four new athletes to their roster including Greta Kesmodel, Tate Mercer, Sarah Incitti, Lillian Lansing, Jeryn Hildenbrand, Josie Povey, and Nyah Mitchell.
• Elin Larsson and Jeryn Hildenbrand are returning from the Pilot's 2025 indoor roster.
• Pilots finished 2024 season with a 5-17 record.
 

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