PORTLAND — The Saint Mary's Gaels (4-6, 0-1 WCC) fell to the Portland Pilots (8-3, 1-0 WCC) for the first time since 2017. The Pilots played energized volleyball in front of their home fans for the first time in two weeks, taking early momentum, and outlasting every Saint Mary's run en route to the sweep.
Saint Mary's found themselves in an early hole in set one, as an early 6-0 Pilot run put them ahead 14-5, a deficit that the Gaels would never be able to overcome, dropping the set 25-16. It was the Gaels who seized early momentum in set two, turning an 11-9 deficit to a 17-11 lead with an 8-0 run, sparked by three Abby Castillon kills.