PORTLAND PILOTS (9-7, 2-2 WCC)
WEEK 6: vs. LMU / PEPPERDINE
 
LMU Lions (11-5, 2-2 WCC)
Day: Thursday
Date: Oct. 6, 2016
Place: Los Angeles, Calif.
Time: 7:00 PM
Facility: Gersten Pavilion
Video: TheW.tv
Stats: LMULions.com
 
POR vs. LMU
Overall Series: 10-49
H: 8-21 • A: 2-27 • N: 0-1
Last: @LMU 3, POR 0 (11/5/2015)
 
Pepperdine Waves (7-9, 1-3 WCC)
Day: Saturday
Date: Oct. 8, 2016
Place: Malibu, Calif.
Time: 1:00 PM
Facility: Firestone Fieldhouse
Video: TheW.tv
Stats: PepperdineWaves.com
 
POR vs. PEPP
Overall Series: 3-55
H: 2-27 • A: 1-28  •  N: 0-0
Last: POR 3, @PEPP 2 (11/7/2015)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots are back on the road this week down in Southern California to face Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine in a pair of West Coast Conference matches.
• The Pilots will first take on LMU on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion.
• The Pilots will then head to Malibu on on Saturday to play Pepperdine at 1 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. 
• Both matches will be streamed live on theW.tv, and live stats can be found on PortlandPilots.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots returned home for the second weekend of conference to face USF and Santa Clara at the Chiles Center.
• The Pilots first dominated against the Dons Thursday evening, sweeping USF 3-0.
• In the match against the Dons, Katie Sullivan didn't make a single attacking error to record an impressive .706 hit percentage.
• On Saturday, the Pilots battled through five sets with Santa Clara, with the Broncos prevailing 3-2.
• Three Pilots registered double digit figures in both kills and digs against the Broncos. Hannah Troutman led with 19 kills and 15 digs, Sarah Savoca with 13 kills and 10 digs, Reghan Pukis with 13 kills, and Monica Gajda with 16 digs.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are currently seventh in the nation and first in conference in total aces (116). They rank ninth nationally and first in the WCC in aces per set (1.87).
• Several Pilots are ranked top-five in the WCC in a few different statistical categories.
• Junior Hannah Troutman is ranked first in conference for total points (271.5), first in total kills (232), third in total attacks (639), third in points per set (4.38) and attacks per set (10.31), and fourth in kills per set (3.74).
• Though Troutman has also only been with the Pilots a little over a year, she is already leaving her mark in the program record books. She currently ranks sixth all time at UP in career kills per set (3.33), seventh in career digs per set (3.17), and 10th in career points per set (3.87).
• Freshman Cali Thompson (24) and junior Morgan Robinson (21) rank second and third in the WCC for service aces, and they're second and fourth in the conference for aces per set with .39 and .34, respectively.
• Thompson is also second in total assists (599) and second in assists per set (9.66). She too, as a freshman, already is making strides by ranking fifth in Pilot history in assists per set (9.67)
• Senior Katie Sullivan is third in the league with total blocks (67).
• Libero Monica Gajda is third in the conference with 242 digs.
• Opening the 2016 season, the Pilots defeated all three tournament host teams they faced, and outright won the Maroon Classic (Sept. 16-17) in Starkville, Miss. Troutman received All-Tournament Honors at the Bulldog Showdown (Sept. 2-3) and landed tourney MVP at the Maroon Classic. Thompson, Mandon, and Sullivan also received All-Tournament honors at the Maroon Classic, and Gajda was named Best Libero.
• The Pilots are coming off a historical year and returned nine letter winners and five starters this season.
• Head coach Brent Crouch is in his third year at the helm and looks to build upon last year's accomplishments.
• Joining Crouch on the Portland staff are first-year assistant coaches Jeff Baxter and Betsy Sedlak and Rick Moller joining the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant.
• Last season was the program's best ever start to a season, with 10 wins in the first 11 games.
• 2015 also marked the most homes wins (10) in program history since competing at the NCAA D1 level.
• Brittney Markwith recorded the second most blocks in a season in program history with a total of 119.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• LMU enters the week with a win against Saint Mary's and a loss to Pacific both on the road last weekend.
• The Lions have five players with triple-digit kills on the season. They are led by redshirt junior Sarah Sponcil, who has 118 kills, 11 service aces, and 163 digs on the season, and freshman Savanah Slattery with 153 kills and 23 total blocks. Senior Jamie Lea, redshirt freshman Sascha Dominique and sophomore Erin Williams also have kills in the triple digits with 118 and 106, and 104, respectfully. Willams also leads the team in total blocks with 37.
• Pepperdine also split their two matches on the road last weekend, defeating Pacific and falling short at Saint Mary's.
• Head coach Tom Black is in his seventh season with the lions.
• The Waves also have five players with tripple digit kills. Sophomores Nikki Lyons and Heidi Dyer lead the squad with 131 and 127 kills. Dyer also has 309 assists for the season.
•Freshmen Hannah Frohling and Jasmine Gross and sophmore Tarah Wylie are just behind Dyer and Lyons with 122, 102, and 102 kills, respectively. Wylie also has 17 blocks on the year
• Head coach Scott Wong is in his second season with the Pepperdine waves, and is also an alum of the class of '01.