PORTLAND, Ore. — Santa Clara volleyball finished its Northwest road trip with a three-set loss at Portland on Saturday afternoon. The Pilots defeated the Broncos 25-15, 25-20, 25-21 in the Chiles Center.
Portland outhit Santa Clara .277 to .124 and was led by a match-high 11 kills from Reghan Pukis. The Broncos (5-13, 0-6 WCC) committed 19 attack errors to only nine for the Pilots (14-4, 2-4). Kamrin Caoili led Santa Clara by notching eight kills, Chloe Loreen had a team-high 13 digs and Tessie Powers topped the Broncos with 14 assists. Loreen's effort is her fourth straight with double-digit digs, which matches a collegiate best streak from the 2017 season.
The Pilots seized command of the first set early by jumping out to a 9-2 lead; Katie Barker combined with Cassidy Naone to produce two blocks and added a service ace during the spree. The Pilots maintained at least a six-point lead the rest of the way.
A back-and-forth second frame featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. The Broncos took a 16-14 lead on back-to-back kills from Kathryn Decker and the Pilots responded by winning seven points in a row to go in front 21-16. Santa Clara came within two points at 22-20 before Portland called timeout and won the last three points to take the set, including two kills from Pukis.
Once Portland took a 2-1 lead in the third set, the Pilots stayed ahead for good to complete the sweep. They created separation with a 6-0 run midway through the stanza for a 15-8 lead and held off another late Bronco rally as Santa Clara cut the deficit to two points at 23-21. Liz Reich put the Pilots on match point with a kill and Portland clinched the win on a Santa Clara attack error.
NOTES
• Santa Clara is 54-12 all-time against Portland in a series that dates back to 1979. The Broncos host the Pilots on Nov. 1.
• Prior to Saturday, the road team had won four straight in the series.
• Chloe Loreen has totaled 60 kills (4.29/set) over the last four matches.
• Alexa Dreyer has multiple blocks in seven straight matches and 11 of the last 12 overall.
NEXT UP
The Broncos return home to host San Diego next Thursday and BYU on Saturday.
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