Complete Release

PORTLAND PILOTS (2-1, 0-0 WCC)
vs DEPAUL (1-2, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Date: Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
Location: Fresno, Calif.
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Arena: Save Mart Center
Live Stats: gobulldogs.com
Live Video: TheMW.com
 
POR vs. DU
Overall Series: 1-1
Here: 0-0
There: 0-1
Neutral: 1-0
Last: POR 3, DU 1 - (9/20/08 @Iowa City, Iowa)
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (2-1, 0-0 WCC)
vs PORTLAND STATE (2-1, 0-0 BIG SKY)
Date: Friday, Sept. 2, 2016
Location: Fresno. Calif
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Arena: Save Mart Center
Live Stats: gobulldogs.com
Live Video: TheMW.com
 
POR vs. PSU
Overall Series: 19-32
Here: 13-11
There: 5-19
Neutral: 1-2
Last: @POR 3, PSU 1 - (9/02/15)
 
PORTLAND PILOTS (2-1, 0-0 WCC)
at FRESNO STATE (4-0, 0-0 MWC)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016
Location: Fresno, Calif.
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Arena: Save Mart Center
Live Stats: gobulldogs.com
Live Video: TheMW.com
 
POR vs. FRESNO ST
Overall Series: 2-3-1
Here: 0-2
There: 2-0
Neutral: 0-1-1
Last: POR 3, @Fresno St. 1 - (9/18/15)
 
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots will be competing at the Bulldog Showdown in Fresno State, Calif., this weekend.
•The Pilots will first take on DePaul University on Friday at 12:30 p.m. This will only be their third match-up ever, with the Pilots winning the last meeting 3-1 2008 in Iowa City, Iowa.
• Friday's evening match will feature the Pilots vs. crosstown rivals Portland State. This will be their 52nd meeting ever, and the Pilots took the last match at home 3-2
• Last up, Portland will be taking on tournament host Fresno State on Saturday. This will be their seventh match in history, and neither team has beaten the other at their home sites.
• There will be live stats and video steams for all three matches, which can be found on gobulldogs.com and themv.com.
 
LAST WEEK
• The Pilots spent their first official weekend of the season down in Corvallis at the Oregon State Tournament.
• Seattle U topped the Pilots 3-1 in the first match of the weekend, but Portland recovered later that day to beat tournament host OSU 3-2; the Pilots rallied from down two sets to claim a 3-2 win over the Beavers.
• On the last day of the tournament, the Pilots swept Utah State 3-0, to claim a tournament record of 2-1.
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Pilots are coming off a historical year and return nine letter winners and five starters this season.
• Portland welcomes three true freshmen to The Bluff, including Izzy Guzik, Emma Scanlan, and Cali Thompson. Redshirt freshman Katie Barker is also be making her first career appearances.
• Sophomore transfer Reghan Pukis comes to Portland from UNLV after spending one year in Las Vegas as an outside hitter.
• 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. Rick Moller recently joined 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.
• On October 15, 2015, the Pilots defeated their first ever ranked team, sweeping San Diego 3-0
• The Pilots' 16-15 record was the first winning season since 1989. The 16 wins are also the most wins for the Pilots since 1991.
• Portland went 6-12 in the West Coast Conference, which are the most league wins since 1994.
• Brittney Markwith recorded the second most blocks in a season in program history with a total of 119.
• Then-senior Emily Liger was named to the 2015 All-WCC First Team, becoming the first Pilot since Heather Denison in 2003 to accomplish that feat.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• DePaul enters the tourney with a record of 1-2, with their lone win vs. Loyola Chicago.
• PSU is led by senior OH Pati Anae, who earned her first Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week award after leading the Vikings to a 2-1 record last weekend. Anae hit .348 while averaging 5.00 kills per set, which is currently 11th in the nation.
• Fresno State is 4-0 after wins over LIU Brooklyn, Boston College, Hartford, and New Hampshire. Senior Aleisha Coates leads the team with 3.71 kps this season. She has tallied double-digit kills in all four matches this season and posted double-doubles in each of the first three.