TACOMA, Wash. - Ashley Coats and Deanna Ellmer both won crucial three-set victories in singles play as Pacific Lutheran defeated host Puget Sound, 6-3, in a Northwest Conference women's tennis match played Sunday at the UPS Tennis Pavilion.

With the victories, the Lutes improve to 2-8 overall and 2-7 in the conference, while Puget Sound is 1-8 in both categories.

The Lutes took the lead following doubles play as PLU picked up 8-4 wins in both the first and third positions. Coats and Cora Wigen beat Samantha Taylor and Madison Holtz at No. 1 and Ellmer and Caitlyn Hoerr topped Ashley Dombrow and Katie Hurley at No. 3.

Puget Sound was able to stay within a point as the team of Ada Yu and Maddie Thiesse earned a close 8-6 win over Heidi Weston and Tina Aarsvold.

Coats and Ellmer both came up with third-set singles wins to make the difference. Coats took the No. 1 match with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Taylor, while Ellmer garnered the win at No. 5 over Devin Fields, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Wigen and Aarsvold both had straight set victories in their singles matches. Wigen knocked off Holtz at No. 2, 6-0, 6-4, and Aarsvold took the measure of Yu at No. 4, 6-2, 6-3.

- PLU -