VB: WCC Play

The Pilots are undefeated in WCC play!!

Well, okay, its 1-0 thanks to a straight set win over SMC 25-20, 25-23, 25-23.... but when was the last time the Pilots were in (tied for) first place in the WCC?  Has it ever happened before?!  

Congrats, Pilots....  11-2 overall, 1-0 in WCC play.  What a turn around!

Next up: Pilots vs. Pacific, Saturday with a first serve at noon.  GO PILOTS!

It's the first time the Pilots have defeated St. Mary's in volleyball in almost a decade. What a great start to WCC play! Great job by the players and the coaching staff. It looks like a program is being built here.

It was good to see the Pilots recover from adversity in the 3rd set... the Pilots found themselves down 16-13, with SMC starting to get in an offensive rhythm. A team without confidence could have folded and let SMC take over... however the Pilots pulled it together and rattled off 7 of the next 8 points to grab a 21-17 lead en route to the win.

Gonzaga knocked off Pacific 3-1 tonight, so who would've known the NW teams would both be 1-0?!

Is there a five minute university on volleyball?

I don't like watching sports I don't know anything about.

What are the substitution rules?

Who gets to stand in front and who is the dodgeball target, and why?

What's a libero, and don't say it's a library attendant.

And is the person with the wrong color jersey a keeper or on the other team, or what?

To a total idiot, the rules seem to  make as much sense as women's six player basketball. ( which I also never got)

In short, the libero is 1 designated player per game, who is a defensive specialist and has more liberal subbing abilities, but always plays in the back row... Liberos can pretty much do everything on the court except attack the ball (they can serve, pass, set).  They wear a contrasting color so the refs can easily differentiate their subbing and ball contacts.

Here is some quick reading: http://www.fivb.org/en/volleyball/Basic_Rules.asp

Okay Pilots volleyball...you had my interest before with all the non-conference success. But you're gonna keep on doing this in WCC play? Now you've got my attention!

Terry Cahill wrote:Okay Pilots volleyball...you had my interest before with all the non-conference success. But you're gonna keep on doing this in WCC play? Now you've got my attention!

I plan on getting myself to The Bluff by noon on Saturday to watch them play... for those not able to make it in person, there is a decent web stream & live stats available on the UP site. (Link in the upper right corner of all PN pages!)

The WCC is a VERY strong volleyball conference, with multiple teams in and around the top 25... the competition is much tougher than the pre-conference schedule, but I am excited to watch a team that should be competitive in these matches!

The Pilots fell to Pacific 3-1 today... but Pacific is GOOD, and clearly the more talented team, BUT... I was impressed with the Pilots performance... they were competitive against a much more skilled team, and competed the whole match. In the 3rd and 4th sets, there were opportunities for the Pilots to get discouraged and lose their cool, but they did not. Couch Crouch is doing a tremendous job in such a short period of time!

The Pilots struggled with Pacific's serves and block--often having to resort to tipping/dumping the ball over the block. As passing improves, so will sets and offense, and at the pace they are improving, that shouldn't take long.

The Pilots may not win many matches for the rest of the season due to the strength of the WCC, but they are now a solid, competitive team that is entertaining to watch. GO PILOTS!

I don't think it should go without acknowledgement that UP beat PU in Malibu yesterday afternoon.....for the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!!!

UP's record is now 14-11, 4-9 in WCC play.

It's a team and a program on the rise!

Congratulations to the volleyballers. Beating PU in Malibu is indeed a big achievement.

The turnaround this year is incredible... at 4-9, the Pilots have been competitive in many of the WCC matches they lost--which did not happen previously. Give Coach Crouch a couple years to get "his" players in the system, and I like where this is heading....

If you weren't on campus today for Volleyball....you missed a good one.

It was Volleyball Alumni Day, and the current team did something the alums had never done....they beat a ranked team!

The Pilots beat the #23 San Diego Toreros 3-0, marking the first time the Pilots have beaten the Toreros since 1991 and the first time in program history that Portland has beaten a ranked opponent.  

Burgers at the Pilot House then a sweep by the Volleyball team....the only thing that could have been better is if the bar had been open after the game.

Pilots return home for their final WCC/home game of the season and Senior Night against GU on Monday November 23 @ 5PM.

WOW! Congrats, Pilots! What a win on Alumni day... and a sweep!

Granted it is probably the best player... but the Pilots have only one senior on the roster (Liger, Outside Hitter), so the good things should continue to grow. GO PILOTS!

Pilots beat SMC today....

Remember, the last WCC game of the season and Senior Night is Monday at 5PM against Gonzaga!

(For those in the Seattle area, the Pilots play at Seattle U on Friday at 5PM).

http://portlandpilots.com/news/2015/11/21/VB_1121152345.aspx

DoubleDipper wrote:Remember, the last WCC game of the season and Senior Night is Monday at 5PM against Gonzaga!

That game will decide 7th and 8th place in conference.

DoubleDipper wrote:Remember, the last WCC game of the season and Senior Night is Monday at 5PM against Gonzaga!

With UP's only setter (Milovic) out with a broken hand, Makayla Lindburg has been playing setter the last two games--not her natural position. Pilots are 1-1 so far with Makayla in that role. It will be interesting to see how they do tonight.

Well, that was disappointing!

Congrats to the volleyball team on securing their first winning season since 1989!