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This Week in Pilots Volleyball...
The Portland Pilots begin the Joe Houck era this weekend as they head to the Holiday Inn Classic in Bozeman, Mont, for three non-conference matches. The Pilots open the 2008 season with a match against Montana State, the host school, on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at Shroyer Gym. Portland then faces Washington on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. before battling MSU again at 6:00 p.m.
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.
Scouting Montana State
The Bobcats went just 1-27 last season, while posting a 0-16 mark in the Big Sky Conference. Seven returning letterwinners and three starters are joined by seven newcomers this fall. Junior middle blocker Nicole Gyrpiuk averaged 1.97 kills per game last year, while sophomore libero Meghan Albitson had a team-high 380 digs.
Sara Schaub, who spent last year coaching MSU Billings, is in her first year as head coach at Montana State.
Pilots/Bobcats Series
Montana State has won all three previous meetings with Portland. Most recently, the Bobcats defeated the Pilots 3-1 in 2004.
Scouting Washington
The Huskies advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season for the 12th time in program history and is just three years removed from winning the 2005 national title. Last season, the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Second Round and went 27-4 overall. Nine letterwinners and three starters return this fall.
Head coach Jim McLaughlin is entering his eighth season at the helm of the UW program. The Huskies are currently ranked ninth in the country were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-10.
Pilots/Huskies Series
Washington owns a 14-1 advantage in the all-time series with Portland. The teams last met in 2005, a 3-0 Husky win at the Chiles Center. UP’s lone win against UW came in 1983.
A Busy Weekend
Following their trip to Montana, the Pilots return home to host the 2008 Nike Portland Invitational at the Chiles Center. The Nike Invitational includes five teams playing a total of nine matches in three days. Kansas State and UC Irvine get things started with a match on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 5:00 p.m. Portland follows with its home-opener against Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. On Friday, Kansas State squares off with Arizona State at noon before the Pilots take the court against UC Irvine at 2:30 p.m. South Florida sees its first action of the tournament against the Sun Devils Friday evening, which is followed by UP’s match with K-State at 7:30 p.m.
It’s an early start on Saturday as UC Irvine meets ASU at 9:30 a.m. Kansas State and South Florida are slated to play at 12:30 p.m. before the Bulls and Pilots conclude the tourney with a 7:00 p.m. match on Saturday night.
Season Openers
The Pilots are looking for their second straight, season-opening win. In 2007, the Pilots defeated Northern Colorado 3-2 in Pullman, Wash.
Since 2000, UP is 4-4 in season-openers. Portland is 6-16 in season-openers since becoming an NCAA Division I program in 1986. All-time, the Pilots are 9-19 in season-openers, dating back to the program’s inception in 1979.
A Trio of Seniors
Seniors K.C. Fox, Ashley Grayson and Jennifer Sheedy figure to play a major role for the Pilots this season. Fox, an outsider hitter, is healthy this fall after missing most of last season with a hand injury. She enters her senior campaign with 156 career kills, 199 career digs and 20 career aces. She’s also handed out 46 assists.
Grayson, a middle blocker who can play multiple positions, shouldered a major load of the Pilot attack in 2007. She led the team with 310 kills and 98 total blocks and connected on 27 service aces.
Sheedy, Grayson’s counterpart in the middle, will also handle a heavy load this season after having a solid junior year. Sheedy, who played in all 101 games during her junior campaign, connected on 280 kills last fall and finished second on the team with 83 total blocks.
Statistically Speaking
The Pilots return 10 letterwinners this season, which means most of UP’s statistical leaders from last year are back. Senior middle blocker Ashley Grayson led the team with 310 kills last season, while sophomore outside hitter Jessica Clemens and senior blocker Jennifer Sheedy were right behind with 298 kills and 280 kills, respectively. Junior setter/outside hitter Maria Clemens was fourth for the Pilots last year with 247 kills.
Jessica Clemens was also Portland’s most potent server last fall, finishing with 36 aces. Grayson (98) and Sheedy (83) led the way in total blocks, while sophomore libero Danielle Dupar had a team-high 348 digs. The Clemenses were second and third in digs, with Jessica finishing at 306 and Maria totaling 237.
Graduated setter Kara Pein led UP with 944 assists last season.
The Career Charts
Four-year starters Ashley Grayson and Jennifer Sheedy have both appeared on UP’s all-time career charts. Entering this season, Sheedy ranks fifth on the all-time attack percentage chart with a mark of .260. Grayson begins her senior campaign eighth on the career block assists list with 187 and 10th in total blocks with 227.
Sheedy, who recorded 280 kills last year, is just 175 kills from cracking the top-ten list in that category. She’s also 25 total blocks away from landing on the all-time blocks list.
The Newest Pilots
In addition to first-year head coach Joe Houck, six newcomers will be enjoying their first season on The Bluff in 2008. Libero Jessica Baty will utilize her redshirt season this fall after transferring from Western Oregon. She spent the past two seasons under Houck’s tutelage at WOU and will have two years of eligibility remaining when she returns to action next fall.
Robyn Hall is an outside hitter from Hayward, Calif., where she prepped at Bishop O’Dowd High School. The 5-7 Hall set school blocking records and was twice named all-league. She helped the Dragons to a third-place finish at CIF.
Kati Hronek, who attended Rainier Christian High School, is a 6-0 outside hitter from Kent, Wash. She was a two-time, first -team all-state selection and was named the MVP of her league twice. Hronek helped lead the Mustangs to a state title in 2007.
Rachel Femling made the short trek to The Bluff from Vancouver, Wash. A 6-0 outside hitter, Femling garnered all-state, all-region and all-league recognition while at Prairie High School.
6-2 middle blocker Marissa Plummer came to Portland from Granite Bay, Calif., where she attended Del Oro High School. Plummer earned all-conference honors after leading the team in kills, blocks and aces during senior campaign.
And finally, Allix Strahon is a 5-7 setter from Eugene, Ore. While at Sheldon HS, she garnered all-league and all-state honors, while helping the Irish to four straight berths to the state tournament.
