PARKLAND - Dominant might be a fitting word to describe the Pacific Lutheran volleyball program after the Lutes beat Whitman on Friday night in Olson Auditorium to wrap up their fifth Northwest Conference championship in the past six seasons.

With their 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 win over the Missionaries, the No. 15-ranked Lutes improved their conference record to a perfect 13-0 and their overall record to 17-6. By winning the conference title, PLU also earns a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament, which begins with regional action during the second week of November.

The Missionaries, who occupy the cellar of the Northwest Conference with a 1-12 record, nontheless pushed the Lutes to the limit in all three sets. Alex Graves showed why she is among the conference leaders in kills and digs, getting 15 and 13, respectively. Courtney Brewer backed her up with eight kills, one solo block and two block assists, and Katie Richards chipped in with 31 assists for the Missionaries (4-16 overall).

Kelcy Joynt had a stellar match for the Lutes with 13 kills, a .423 attack percentage and a match-high 21 digs. Beth Hanna and Kelsie Moore both had 10 kills and Sarah Beaver contributed 32 assists.

The first set was close throughout with 12 ties and four lead changes. Whitman used a 3-0 run, including a Graves kill,  to open up a 16-13 lead and forcing a PLU timeout. The Lutes came out of the break with their own 6-0 run to lead by three points, and though the Missionaries pulled to within one the Lutes were able to pull away for the first set victory.

Whitman got out to a fast start in the second set, taking a 9-4 lead behind a pair of kills from both Graves and Brewer. The Lutes reponded by winning eight of the next nine points, three of those coming on kills by Joynt. With the score tied at 14-14, the Lutes scored four unanswered points and eventually closed out the set.

As with the second set, there were four ties and two lead changes in the third set, but most of that occurred in the early going. The Lutes eventually pulled away to a 13-7 lead following three consecutive Whitman attack errors, and thought the visitors were able to pull to within one point at 22-21, the Lutes eventually wrapped it up on Beaver's service ace.

The Lutes hit .311 in the first set, .387 in the second and ended the match with a .268 mark. The three-set victory was the 11th this season in 13 conference matches for the champions. The Missionaries' best hitting came in the first set at .195 and they hit .121 for the match.

Pacific Lutheran closes out the home portion of its 2009 regular season at 5 p.m. when it hosts the Whitworth Pirates in conference action. Whitman, meanwhile, will play the Puget Sound Loggers in another conference match.

- PLU -