PARKLAND - Pacific Lutheran was in danger of losing a Northwest Conference volleyball match for the first time since early in the 2008 season on Saturday before holding off the upstart Whitman Missionaries in five sets in Olson Auditorium.

Based on the trend of two matches already played this year between the four-time defending conference champion Lutes (8-3 overall, 2-0 NWC) and the youthful Missionaries (3-7, 0-2), it made sense that this one would go to five sets. PLU defeated Whitman twice in the latter's season-opening tournament in early September, the first match going three sets and the second going four. Today's contest indeed went to five sets before the Lutes prevailed, 25-13, 22-25, 25-16, 19-25, 15-8.

The win was the 250th at PLU for head coach Kevin Aoki, who is 250-127 in his 15th season at his alma mater.

Junior outside hitter Kelsie Moore continued to impress this season, leading the winners with 18 kills and a .341 attack percentage. Beth Hanna added 15 kills and only one error for an impressive .438 percentage, and the Lutes as a team finished with just 10 errors for the entire match while hitting .367. Missy DeWalt, Sarah Beaver and Bethany Huston all had seven kills for the Lutes, who also got 45 assists and five service aces from Beaver. Anna Buck had a huge serving match with seven aces. Hanna led the Lutes with 16 digs and Blair Bjorkman added 13.

Jillian Davis pounded 21 kills to lead all players, and Courtney Brewer and Carrie Cecil both added 12 for Whitman, which hit .259 for the match. Rachel Cline had 50 assists and three aces, and Becca Gotz finished with a team-high 14 digs.

All three of Pacific Lutheran's set victories were impressive, the Lutes hitting .522 in the first, .306 in the second and .692 in the third.

Whitman started the first set with a 9-3 lead, but the Lutes closed it out with a 21-4 run, including 11 kills and four service aces. The second set was closer, Whitman holding the lead until the Lutes finally surged in front, 14-13, on Moore's kill. The Missionaries immediately regained the momentum with five straight points and went on to take the set, with Davis finishing it with a kill.

The visitors led 13-10 in the third set before the Lutes went on a nine-point run, highlighted by Buck's eight straight service points, including two aces. Beaver's dump kill ended the set and gave the Lutes the upper hand at 2-1.

Whitman, featuring all sophomore and frosh, would not go away quietly and gradually pulled away from an 11-11 tie. Maddy Bell and Davis both had a pair of kills as the Missionaries made it 2-2.

PLU opened the deciding set with three straight points, including a pair of aces by Buck. Trailing 6-1, Whitman rode two kills and two aces by Davis to tie it at 6-6. The Lutes regained the momentum on a kill by Moore, and they eventually closed out their 30th consecutive conference victory on Hanna's kill.