Location: Portland, Oregon
Dates: September 16-18
Teams: Utah Valley State (3-2),
Portland (4-3), Portland State (4-3),
UC Davis (1-7), and Cal Poly-SLO (1-5)
Site: Chiles Center @ University of Portland
Internet Broadcast: None
Series Record: 0-1 vs. Portland,
First Meeting vs. Portland State, UC Davis, and Cal Poly-SLO

OREM, Utah - The Utah Valley State volleyball team will travel to Portland, Oregon to compete in the Nike Portland Pilot Invitational hosted by the University of Portland, September 16-18. The Wolverines are scheduled to play UC Davis on Thursday at 6:00 pm (MST), Cal Poly on Friday at 12:00 pm (MST), and on Saturday UVSC plays Portland State at 11:00 am (MST) and Portland at 8:30 pm (MST).

Wolverine Update:
The Wolverines (3-2) are coming off a solid showing in the BYU/Mizuno Classic last weekend. UVSC went 2-1 in the tournament, with wins over Central Florida (in four games), and a three game sweep of Memphis. UVSC lost to Big 12 power, University of Oklahoma in four games.

Senior right side hitter, Deise Borghetti was named to the Mizuno Classic All-Tournament team. Borghetti averaged 4.45 kills, and 3.18 digs per game in the tournament. She had match-high kills against UCF (21), and Oklahoma (18).

Sophomore setter, Lacee Koelliker distributed the ball well in the Classic averaging 12.36 assists per game. She also tallied 4.09 digs per game. Front liners, senior Alina Wallauer and freshman Jessica Endres also put up good numbers. Wallauer, averaged 3.90 kills, and 3.00 digs per game, while Endres notched 3.36 kills per game. Freshman libero, Chelsea O'Neal came off the bench against UCF and recorded 14 digs, and then started against Oklahoma and scooped up a match-high 18 digs. O'Neal finished the Memphis match with 11 digs, averaging 3.90 digs per game for the tournament.

Endres Named Newcomer of the Week:
Freshman middle blocker Jessica Endres was named the Division I Independent Volleyball Newcomer of the Week for her performance in the BYU/Mizuno Classic September 10-11. The weekly award is given to a true freshman or transfer player.

Endres, a true freshman from Gilbert, Arizona, helped the Wolverines go 2-1 in the Mizuno Classic. UVSC sandwiched wins over Central Florida and Memphis around a loss to Oklahoma. Against UCF Endres was called upon 20 different times, notching 13 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Against OU she tallied seven kills, and against Memphis, Endres carried the team with a match-high 17 kills, while hitting an impressive .536.

The award was the first of the season for Endres, and it is the first award for UVSC this year.

This season, eight Division I Independent schools have grouped together to elect Player of the Week awards. Those teams are Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas-Pan American, IPFW, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Providence, and Utah Valley State. Awards are voted on by participating team sports information directors and released each Tuesday.

Last Year's Post Season Honors:
UVSC returns three players who received NCAA Division I Independent honors in 2003. They are: outside hitters Alina Wallauer and Krystal Taylor, and setter Lacee Koelliker.

Wallauer (173 K, 2.37 K/G) received two honors as she was named the D-I Independent -??Newcomer of the Year,-?? and to the All-Independent Second Team. Koelliker (379 A, 4.51 A/G) and Taylor (109 K, 1.85 K/G) were both named to the Independent All-Freshman Team.

Scouting the Opposition:
UC Davis: The Aggies have started off the 2004 season slow as they come into the tournament with a 1-7 overall record. Davis' first and only win this season came on Saturday, September 11 th over Brown. Senior Katie Wilton leads the Aggies offensively averaging 3.11 k/g. UVSC and UC Davis play in the opening match of the Nike Portland Pilot Invitational on Thursday at 6:00 pm (MST).

Cal Poly: The Mustangs start conference play Wednesday against Cal State Fullerton before traveling to the Nike Portland Pilot Invitational. Cal Poly currently sits at 1-5 overall. The Mustangs are on a current five game skid, with their only win coming against Northern Arizona in their season opener. Senior Margaret Donoghue, who earned all-tournament honors last weekend, leads Cal Poly offensively. UVSC and Cal Poly match-up on Friday at 12:00 pm (MST).

Portland State: The Vikings come into the tournament with a current 4-3 overall record. Last weekend PSU hosted the Viking Volleyball Showcase. Oregon, Gonzaga, Northern Colorado, and British Columbia were the other teams invited to the Showcase. PSU was swept by Oregon, lost to Gonzaga in four games, won in three over British Columbia, and lost to Northern Colorado in five games. Melissa Osterloh and Jessica Brodie are currently tied for the conference lead in kills per game with at 4.36. UVSC and PSU play Saturday morning at 11:00 am (MST).

Portland: Host team, University of Portland also comes into the invitational with a 4-3 overall record. UP played in the Holiday Inn Classic hosted by Montana State University last week. The Pilots went 3-1 in the tournament, losing in the championship game to MSU. Junior setter Sheena Surplus was named to the All-Tournament team. Sara Vercruyssen leads the Pilots offensively, averaging 4.22 kills per game. UVSC and UP play the night cap game on Saturday at 8:30 pm (MST).

Up Next:
The Wolverines will be on the road again next week. They travel to Pocatello, Idaho on Monday, September 21 st to play Idaho State, and then UVSC will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to match up against UNLV on Saturday, September 25 th . The ISU game is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm (MST), and first serve of the UNLV game is scheduled for 2:00 pm (MST).