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This Week in Pilots Volleyball...
The Portland Pilots host WCC opponent Gonzaga, to finish up the first half of conference play for the 2008 season, followed by the independent Cal State Bakersfield. On Saturday, Oct. 25 the Pilots play the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 1:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore. The Pilots are looking for their first WCC win of the season.
On Monday Oct. 27, the Pilots host the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at 7:00 p.m. also in the Chiles Center.
Coming soon, UP will “Dig for the Cure” on Oct. 30 against WCC opponent San Diego. In support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, fans can pledge money per dig by the Pilots or make a flat donation. Pilots will wear pink warm-ups and fans are encouraged to wear pink!
Game Day Coverage
All Portland home matches will once again be video streamed live at www.pilotsvideo.com. A season pass is available for $40, while single-game matches are $8. Free audio streams and live stats will continue to be available at www.portlandpilots.com.
Pilot Podcasts
As part of the new and improved portlandpilots.com, fans will be treated with frequent and exclusive interviews from all UP athletic programs throughout the 2008-09 sports seasons.
Visit the Pilots Podcast page for previews, reviews, Q&A’s and other fun features. Coaches, student-athletes and athletic administrators will be frequent contributors to the new Podcast page.
Looking Back
The Pilots (5-16, 0-6 WCC) faced conference opponents LMU and No. 16 Pepperdine on the road last weekend. On Thursday evening, the Lions defeated the Pilots in three straight sets with scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-19. Portland had two players in double digits in kills, with senior Ashley Grayson connecting on a match high 19 kills, and sophomore Jessica Clemens adding 11. Sophomore Danielle Dupar led both teams in digs with 12.
On Saturday afternoon at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif., the Pilots pushed the No. 16 Pepperdine Waves to five sets, but ultimately fell 15-25, 20-25, 25-22, 28-26, 11-15. Powered by a double-double by sophomore Jessica Clemens and a match high 21 kills from senior Ashley Grayson, Portland took the match as far as an 11-11 tie in the fifth. Grayson’s 21 kills tied her career high and the team’s season high, which Grayson first posted against South Florida on Sept. 6. Jennifer Sheedy finished with 14 kills and also denied the Waves’ attack with a team high six blocks, including two solos.
Scouting Gonzaga
The Bulldogs, who sit at a 6-16 record and 0-6 in the WCC, went 0-2 over the weekend losing to No. 16 Pepperdine 3-1 and LMU 3-1 on the road. Gonzaga plays Seattle University on Oct. 22 before facing Portland on Oct. 25.
Setter Denise Van de Mortel leads the team with a WCC high 892 assists (10.49 assists/set). Van de Mortel is also second on the team in total digs with 191, helping her to land third spot on the WCC double-doubles list with six this season. Elaina Renius leads the WCC in total blocks with 98, that includes 32 block solos. Renius is also second in the WCC in total kills with 295 (3.47 kills/set). Paige Dillingham leads Gonzaga in total digs with 308, which puts her in second position in the WCC.
Head coach Kip Yoshimura is in his seventh season with the Bulldogs who went 17-13 last fall, and 5-9 in WCC play (7th). Nine letterwinners and three starters returned this season. Gonzaga leads the all-time series with Portland 32-17. In the last meeting between the two teams in 2007, the Bulldogs won 3-0 in Portland, Ore.
Scouting Cal State Bakersfield
The Roadrunners (11-10), who are playing an independent schedule this year, had a win and a loss last week. CSBU was defeated San Jose State 3-1 but beat Bucknell University 3-0 earlier in the week. This week, CSBU plays University of the Pacific on Oct. 22 and Seattle University on Oct. 25 before taking on Portland on Oct. 27.
CSBU is led by on the attack by Sarah Norman, who has 250 total kills and 3.12 kills/set, and Rosemary Stribling who has 244 totals kills and 3.13 kills/set. Stribling also leads the Roadrunners in blocks with 38 total. The setter position is held up by Barbie Thistle who has dished 865 assists this season, for a 10.81 assist/set average. On defense, Mystie McNaughton leads the team with 433 total digs and a 5.41 dig/set average.
Head coach John Price is in his 12th season with the Roadrunners, who went 8-20 overall last season. Five letterwinners and four starters returned this fall. This is the first meeting ever between the two teams.
Pilots among WCC Leaders
Jessica Clemens, a sophomore outside hitter, currently ranks second in the WCC in service aces, with 23 of the team’s 85. Jessica Clemens also has the conference match high with 10 service aces against South Florida (Sept. 6, 2008).
Ashley Grayson, a senior middle blocker, is currently eighth in the WCC in total kills with 240.
Trio of Seniors
In their final year on the Bluff, Portland Pilot seniors, K.C. Fox, Ashley Grayson and Jennifer Sheedy are adapting to a new system under first year Coach Houck. All seniors are playing pivotal roles this season. Grayson, a middle blocker who can play multiple positions, is leading the team with 240 kills (3.20 kills per set). Grayson has also put up 37 total blocks so far, five of those solo.
Sheedy, Grayson’s counterpart in the middle, has connected on 198 kills for 2.61 per set and leads the team with 54 total blocks, that includes 13 solos.
Fox, an outsider hitter, continues to be consistent this season both offensively and defensively. She has an average of 1.51 kills per set (113 total), 1.43 digs per set (107 total), 19 total blocks and is second on the team in service aces with 17.
NKOTB Update
The Pilot newcomers have quickly integrated the team, contributing on both sides of the ball. The 6-2 freshman middle blocker Marissa Plummer is second on the team in total blocks with 44, including 10 solos, and averages 0.70 blocks per set. Also an offensive threat, Plummer has consistently held the team high attacking percentage, which is now at .271, connecting on 110 kills on 251 swings (1.69 kills per set).
Freshman libero Allix Strahon, who has consistently seen court time, is a significant help on defense with 1.81 digs per set and 107 total.
The 6-0 outside hitter Katie Hronek, who hails from Kent, Wash., and the athletic outside hitter Robyn Hall, from Hayward, Calif. are also helping to reinforce the Pilots this season. Rounding out the newcomers is Rachel Fleming, an outside hitter from Vancouver, Wash., who also stands at 6-0.
The Career Charts
Senior Jennifer Sheedy recently broke into the all-time top-ten list in career kills, currently sitting in the 10th position with 950 career kills and a 5th-ranked career hitting percentage of .260. Sheedy has moved up to eighth this week on the block assists list with 199 and she is ninth on the career total blocks list with 256.
Joining Sheedy on UP’s all-time career charts is four-year starter Ashley Grayson. Grayson is fifth on the career block assists list with 219 and she is seventh in total blocks with 264.
Danielle Dupar is ranked fifth on the career digs per set list with 3.14 average.
The Sisters Clemens
Sisters Maria and Jessica Clemens are back for their second season together on The Bluff. Maria, a junior, has moved to setter this year after spending the last two years as mainly an outside hitter. Jessica, a sophomore outside hitter, leads the team in two categories, in service aces (23) and total digs (192). Jessica also plays basketball for UP.
The Clemens name is a familiar one throughout the state of Oregon. Brother Kellen was a standout quarterback for the Oregon Ducks and is currently playing for the New York Jets in the NFL.
