PARKLAND – Pacific Lutheran defeated the visiting Whitman Missionaries 3-1 on Friday night on Names Family Court. The Lutes took the match by scores of 25-11, 22-25, 25-21 and 26-24.
With 42 digs, libero Amber Aguiar broke the PLU record for digs in a 4-set match, formerly held by Blair Bjorkman with 41 digs in the September 3, 2011 match against Puget Sound.
Amy Wooten led a balanced Lute attack with a .321 attack percentage (13 kills with four errors in 28 attempts) in addition to her match-leading five blocks. Haley Urdahl added 12 kills, while Lucy Capron had 11. Allison Wood tallied 10.
Setter Samantha North contributed 51 assists for a season-high in 4-set matches.
For the Missionaries, Jillan Davis led with 17 kills, while Shae Kanakaole followed closely with 15. Taylor Aschenbrenner set up the offense with 41 assists and Hannah Linsenmayer collected 31 digs.
PLU took off quickly in the first set, jumping out 12-5 and never relinquishing the lead on their way to a 25-11 set victory. The Lutes limited the Missionaries to a -.024 team hitting percentage compared to their .267 stat.
The second set saw a tighter matchup as it featured nine ties. The Lutes held the early lead at 3-0 but Whitman battled back to take ownership 6-4. PLU would not recapture the lead until a 19-18 score. Whitman would put the set away 25-22 by taking seven of the final 10 points.
The third set saw Whitman pulling out early with a 6-4 score and PLU rallying back from the deficit. With the Lutes at a 21-15 advantage, the Missionaries rallied to come within two points at 21-23. Back-to-back kills by Urdahl and Wood secured the set victory for the Lutes 25-21.
PLU made a loud entry into the fourth set, taking a 7-2 lead. The Missionaries retaliated with a seven-point rally to give themselves a 9-7 advantage. The set remained tightly contested from there. Following a 24-24 tie, a kill by Bethany Huston and service ace by Aguiar would solidify the 26-24 win and the 3-1 match victory.
Catch more volleyball action on Saturday night at the final home match of the season. The Lutes will host Whitworth at 5 p.m. on Names Family Court. A ceremony honoring the seniors will take place during pregame.
