by Malika Andrews |
Senior Emily Liger led the Pilots to their sixth consecutive win this afternoon in the Chiles Center. With a hitting percentage of .464, Liger recorded 15 kills and 17 points in Portland’s sweep of St. Francis Brooklyn. This is the Pilots’ third sweep of the season.
“Dj (Milovic) set really well for me,” Liger said. “We found a lot of seams to hit through. We aim to hit at least .300 and so I am happy with the outcome. Really though, I was excited to see freshmen get out onto the court. They are always so happy and so excited.”
Sophomore Hannah Troutman was another big player, adding 11 kills for Portland.
The crowd saw their first glimpses of high school teammates, Troutman and junior Makayla Lindburg during the first set. The duo put up a big block to put the Pilots up 17-12.
“It was a lot of fun (to play with Lindburg),” Troutman said. “Playing right next to each other was great. We just always knew where each other was and that made it so we could get the blocks, I vibe differently with her.”
This was Lindburg’s first start as a middle blocker in a collegiate match. Her hitting percentage struggled, with 2 errors on 5 attacks. Still, with junior Katie Sullivan sidelined with an ankle injury, Lindburg was the presence Portland needed at the net, recording three blocks on the match.
Portland took the first set 25-18.
The Pilots were first on the board in the second set but struggled to find their momentum. Hannah Troutman put down an authoritative kill to put the Pilots up 6-5 but St. Francis’ Angela Hudelson answered with an attack of her own. With 5 kills, Liger led Portland to a 9-5 run to win the second set 25-19.
Portland controlled the third set with a .405 hitting percentage. Troutman and Lindburg recorded their third combined block of the evening to put the Pilots up 9-5. The block seemed to rattle St. Francis and set the tone for a 4-point run by Portland. St. Francis called a timeout with the Pilots leading 11-5. Portland came out of the timeout showing no mercy as sophomore Sarah Savoca hit a cross-court shot to push the Pilots' lead to seven. Troutman had the final say of the match, slamming down a kill to complete the final set 25-16.
As a team, the Pilots recorded a .296 hitting percentage to the Terriers’ .119 and out blocked the Terriers 7-4.
The Pilots will host their second game of the North Harbour Marriot Invitational in Chiles, tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
Malika Andrews is the sports editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at andrewsm17@up.edu or on Twitter @malika_andrews
