Complete Release

Pilots (1-2) at The Shocker Classic
Stephen F. Austin (2-2) • Friday • September 3 • 10 AM
Stephen F. Austin (2-2)• Saturday • September 4 • 10 AM
Wichita State (2-1) • Saturday • September 4 • 5 PM
Wichita State Series: Tied 1-1.

This Week in Pilots Volleyball
    The Portland Pilots continue the 2010 volleyball season by traveling to the Shocker Classic in Wichita, Kan., where they play three games in two days. The Pilots open the tournament with a 10 a.m. match against Stephen F. Austin on Friday. Portland then plays a double-header on Saturday with a morning match against Stephen F. Austin before playing the host Wichita State Shockers at 5 p.m. Portland has never faced Stephen F. Austin and this will be the first match-up with the Shockers since 1996 and the first time the two teams will meet on a non-neutral court.

A Brief Look Back...
    Portland opened the 2010 season with a third-place finish in the Corvallis Invitational last weekend. Sophomore Ariel Usher finished the tournament with 42 kills and 24 digs en route to a spot on the All-Tournament team. After averaging 4.55 sets/game last season, sophomore Madison Smith tallied 120 assists in the tournament for an average of 10.00 sets/game. Junior Marissa Plummer re-established herself as a defensive force with 11 blocks over the three game tournament.

Game Day Coverage
    New for 2010-11 is UP’s GameCentral, a free internet portal that combines free video, audio and livestats in one location, making following the Pilots easier and more accessible than ever before. All home, non-televised men’s and women’s soccer games, volleyball matches and men’s and women’s basketball games will be available through the free service, which is also available on your iPhone, iPad, or iTouch. To access GameCentral, simply visit PortlandPilots.com.

All-Tournament Material
    In tournament action this season, sophomore Ariel Usher nabbed a spot on the 2010 Corvallis Invitational All-Tournament Team in Corvallis, Ore. Aug. 27-28.

On the Road Again...
    The Pilots will be participating in four non-conference tournaments during the regular season in 2010, so the team does not see their first Chiles Center action until Sept. 28 against Trinity Western. Overall, the Pilots play nine neutral matches, 13 road matches, and eight contests at home.

Ariel Assault
    Sophomore Ariel Usher made a major impact on the 2009 Pilot squad and she is off to an impressive start this season. After finishing last season third on the team in kills but first in attacking percentage, Usher recorded double-digit kill totals in each of her first three matches. She has now recorded four straight games with double-digit kill totals dating back to the season finale last year. Usher currently leads the Pilots in kills (42), attacks (105), attack percentage (.267), and points (47).
    The 6-1 sophomore from Forest Grove, Ore. also landed a spot on the All-WCC Preseason Team after being named to the All-WCC All-Freshman Team in 2009.

Can You Dig It?
    Senior libero Danielle Dupar finished the 2009 campaign with 1,004 career digs after posting a career-high 365 during the year. She entered the season ranked ninth on the all-time digs list in school history.
    Dupar currently has racked up 58 digs so far this season, moving her into eighth place while leaving her just five digs behind Kim Kemper (1,067) for the seventh slot.

Helping Hands
    After splitting setting duties with Kaylyn Jones last season, sophomore Madison Smith has taken over this year. Smith recorded 391 assists as a true freshman last season. Through three matches, she has already recorded 120 assists, including two 40+ games.
    On top of setting her teammates up for the kill, the Palos Verde, Calif., native has notched 17 kills of her own so far. Smith recorded just one kill all of last season and is establishing herself as a kill threat from the setter’s position.

Block Party
    Junior middle blocker Marissa Plummer has tallied 11 blocks (2 solo/9 assists) through three games. Plummer finished last season two blocks behind Shelley Sievers for the team lead but still finished eighth on the WCC leader board with 96.
    After averaging 0.92 blocks/set last year, Plummer once again owns an average of 0.92 blocks per set this year.
    As a team, the Pilots have accumulated 15 total blocks.

Preseason WCC
    After finishing in second place last season, the San Diego Toreros have been selected to regain the top spot in the 2010 West Coast Conference Coaches Preseason Volleyball Poll and earn their fourth WCC title in six years. The Portland Pilots were selected to finish seventh, while sophomore middle blocker Ariel Usher was named to the preseason all-conference team.
    Portland  edged Loyola Marymount for the seventh place spot. Usher, who landed on the WCC All-Freshman team last season, led the team in points in 2009 and finished in the top 10 in the conference in hitting percentage.

2010 WCC Preseason Volleyball Poll
1. San Diego, 48 (6)
2. Saint Mary’s, 43 (1)
3. Pepperdine, 36 (1)
4. Santa Clara, 33
5. San Francisco, 23
6. Gonzaga, 18
7. Portland, 12
8. Loyola Marymount 11
(First place votes)
 
Preseason All-Conference Team
(Name, School, YR, POS)
Lauren Corp, SMC, SO, OH
Amy DeGroot, USD, RSR, OH
Kim Hill, PEP, JR, MB
Kapua Kamana’o, SMC, SR, S
Dana Knudsen, SCU, SO, MB
Shannon Lowell, SMC, SR, MB
Sarah Mandala, USF, SR, OH
Kelsi Myers, USD, SR, S
Ali Troost, USD, SR, RS
Ariel Usher, POR, SO, MB

The Newest Pilots
    Four newcomers join the Pilots for the 2010 campaign, all of whom are freshmen. Monica Jordan arrives on The Bluff as a setter from Grants Pass, Ore., while Autumn Wedan comes in as an outside hitter from Klamath Falls, Ore. Rounding out this year’s freshmen class are two Californians as Mckenzie Oliver (San Mateo) and Christina Harris (Los Alamitos) join coach Houck’s program.

Bloggin’ on The Bluff - Entry #2 (Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010)
    Portland freshman Autumn Wedan, an outside hitter from Klamath Falls, Ore., will be writing a season-long blog, giving fans an in-depth, behind the scenes and sometimes comical look at the UP volleyball program. Make sure to bookmark www.portlandpilots.com/WedanBlog and follow Wedan and the Pilots all season:
    Today was Monica’s first day of college. But unlike the rest of the students on campus who shared this in common with her, this was Monica’s first day of “real school,” ever. She was home schooled her entire life, and had no idea what being in a classroom with a real teacher would be like.
    She began preparation for class on Saturday night, organizing her school supplies and checking about ten times that she had everything she needed. It was somewhat amusing answering her questions about classrooms, and reassuring her that she didn’t need to worry about any “implied procedures” in the classroom that would have been learned at a younger age, that she was unaware of. Sunday morning was full of anxiety for the next day’s events, and at one point I had to stop her nervous pacing and make her do yoga to calm her down.
    Monday morning finally came, and Monica and I got up earlier than normal to ensure that we would have time to eat a good breakfast before class. My first class started an hour after hers, but I wanted to be with her to make sure she made it to the right classroom on time, and that she would have someone to panic excitedly to.
    The walk to the Commons was mostly quiet as Monica prepared for her day, with the occasional nervous question. We had eggs, sourdough toast (Monica’s favorite), and white chocolate mochas for breakfast, and then headed to Franz. We stepped in the building and I took on my motherly role and made her pose for a quick picture and gave her a quick hug before sending her off on her own to class.
    When we had the chance to sit down after practice that night, I got the chance to talk about how her day was. She had the biggest smile on her face as she explained about all her classes, her teachers, her classmates, and her relief that she didn’t mess up on anything or embarrass herself. She is more than excited about the school year, especially because she gets real school and volleyball in one package.
    Practice has been somewhat hectic now that school has begun, with players arriving late, and others leaving early. But our amazingly talented Assistant Coach Sara Reilly is always happy to jump into any drill if there is a lack of players. We are able to stay on task and engaged, because our goals for the season have not changed, and the mind-set we have to reach those goals is still there. We head off to Kansas this week, and everyone is ecstatic. Hope you all have as fun of a weekend as we will!