TACOMA - It has been said that all good things must come to an
end, and you would have to consider a 35-match conference winning
streak a good thing.
The Puget Sound Loggers got the momentum early and never let go,
handing Pacific Lutheran its first Northwest Conference volleyball
loss since the 2008 season, 25-19, 25-19, 25-19, on Wednesday night
in Memorial Fieldhouse.
The Lutes (12-4) and Loggers (11-4) are now tied atop the
Northwest Conference standings, both with 6-1 records.
The Loggers jumped on the Lutes from the outset of the first
set, breaking a 3-3 tie on a kill by Molly Gibson and never
trailing after that. The hosts took their biggest lead at 15-5,
taking advantage of three blocks, two PLU attack errors and a ball
handling error. Trailing 18-10, the Lutes rallied to within four
points at 23-19, but Natalie Monro finished it off with two of her
four kills in the set.
After that, it was the Brynn Blickenstaff show as the junior
outside hitter put the Loggers on her back and brought them home.
Blickenstaff, who had three kills in the first set, pounded down
eight more in the second set on her way to 17 kills in the
match.
With the Lutes holding a 19-17 lead in the second set,
Blickenstaff recorded two kills to put her team ahead 20-19 on the
way to a set-closing eight-point run. Stephanie O'Connor served out
for the hosts, her overhand jump serve putting pressure on the
Lutes, who had trouble getting into their offense throughout the
match.
In the third set, the teams were tied at 13-13, and at that
point Blickenstaff didn't have a kill. That's when she took over,
however, recording six kills down the stretch as the Loggers slowly
pulled away.
Blickenstaff finished the match with a .406 attack percentage,
and the Loggers hit .190 as a team.
PLU's inability to sustain any offense was evident in a .080
attack percentage, and only junior middle blocker Erin Bremond was able to
provide a threat for the Lutes at the net with 10 kills and a .350
percentage. Beth
Hanna and Kelsie
Moore, a pair of outside hitters who have led the Lutes in
kills this season, were taken away by the tough UPS net defense as
both managed just five kills in the match.
Blair
Bjorkman had a big match for the Lutes on the back row with 24
digs, and Sarah
Beaver finished with 23 assists.
Pacific Lutheran returns to Northwest Conference action at 4
p.m. Sunday when it hosts the Linfield Wildcats in Olson
Auditorium.
- PLU -
