By Ben Arthur|
The Portland Pilots won their second consecutive five-set game with a win over the Santa Clara Broncos Saturday afternoon in the Chiles Center. The Pilots handed the Broncos just their third loss in conference.
“Santa Clara is a really good team,” junior setter Djurdjina Milovic said. “I think the fact that we practiced so hard [this week] and our mental preparation paid off tonight.”
A hammer from sophomore Hannah Troutman set the tone for Portland in set one. After two early ties at 4 and 6, the Pilots took control, capitalizing on lapses and miscommunication from Santa Clara. A 14-7 lead by the home team forced the visiting Broncos to take their second timeout of the set. Portland picked up right where they left off after the short stoppage in play with a tight cross-court strike from junior Katie Sullivan to extend the lead to eight. A service ace from the Broncos highlighted a late run from the visitors that cut the lead down to three at 22-19. After their first timeout of the match, the Pilots reclaimed control of the set with a 3-1 run.
Portland took Set one, 25-22. Four Pilots had at least three kills going into the second set. The Broncos tallied seven attack errors.
Santa Clara came out firing on all cylinders in set two. The Broncos dominated early with a 12-4 advantage over the Pilots. After the visitors extended their lead to nine, Portland called a timeout. The Broncos continued to roll as they brought their lead to a game-high of 14 at 23-9. A pair of kills from Troutman and a kill by senior Emily Liger triggered a small run for the Pilots, but the Broncos took Set two, 25-13.
Troutman and Liger chipped in seven kills apiece for the Pilots before the break. Sabrina Clayton led the way for the Broncos with 10 kills.
Set three began tight, neither side letting up. After two early ties at 4 and 5, Portland emerged to take a 12-8 lead. A block from junior Brittney Markwith instigated a run that gave the Pilots a six point advantage. The home team continued their strong play, as a service ace from Troutman gave Portland an 18-11 lead. After a timeout, the Broncos responded by reducing the advantage to just four. A Troutman kill helped the home team to seal a 2-1 game advantage over the Broncos.
Pilots took Set three, 25-18.
Set four started out at a deadlock with four ties before either team had reached their seventh point. Strong blocking and attacks from Liger helped Portland to creep to a 12-7 lead. Santa Clara replied with a 5-0 run of their own to cut the lead to just one. The battle continued as there were six more ties by the time the teams’ reached their 20th point. Despite a huge block from the tandem of sophomore Sarah Savoca and Markwith, a 4-0 run helped Santa Clara to claim the fourth set 25-22.
The Pilots came out scorching in the final set to take a quick 5-1 advantage. After a Santa Clara timeout, things continued to go right for Portland with Liger leading the way. A Sullivan attack and a huge play from Milovic at the net gave the Pilots a 10-3 lead. The Broncos called a timeout, but Portland was able to finish the set on 5-3 run.
With a 15-6 win in the fifth set, Portland took the match 3-2.
Portland’s Liger, Troutman, and Savoca combined for 45 attacks and .289 hitting percentage. Markwith led the way defensively with nine blocks.
Portland (13-10, 3-8 WCC) will head back on the road for a pair of games in Southern California. Their first stop will be in Los Angeles to face LMU (17-7, 8-4 WCC) next Thursday at 7pm.
Ben Arthur is a Sports writer for The Beacon. He can be reached by email at arthur17@up.edu or on Twitter @KingArthur_425
