2022 Volleyball

The Pilot volleyball team has gotten off to a good start. 5-1 after the first two weekends. I haven't seen the matches because they've been on the road, but a couple of things that stand out about the stats are (if my math is right):

• 48 service aces, with only 32 service errors.
  
• 50 blocks for the Pilots, with 43 for the opponents. Blocking has been a weakness over the past several years, so good to see that on the plus-side.
  

Good comeback and win over Portland St. tonight in the Chiles Center.

Coming off a 3-match losing streak with a record of 5-4 on the season, it didn't look good when the Pilots dropped the first set to PSU, putting their record at 1-9 over their last 10 sets, but they came back to win 3 straight sets for the victory.

I know little to nothing about volleyball, but I do like the excitement they create amongst themselves on the court even when others might find good reason to hang their chin on their chest.

I watched the match on TV in the comfort of my home, but the team could probably use our in-person support on Saturday at 4pm when they take on Seattle U.

I was there in person. The Pilots not only dropped the first set--with PSU getting 4 blocks in that set--but PSU had set point in the 2nd. The Pilots came back from 23-24 with three straight points to win.

The Pilots had an impressive number of aces, including three during a run of four serves by Grace Zilbert. Their blocking was also much better than in recent years. It's hard to extrapolate from one match, but this may be the best blocking team since Katie Sullivan and Brittney Markwith graduated after the 2016 season.

To me, the most disappointing aspect of the Pilots' play was their defense against PSU's back-row attack. A high percentage of kill attempts by PSU from behind the 3-meter line were successful.