By Maddie Bernard, PLU Sports Information Student Writer
TACOMA – Roshel Muzzall led the Pacific Lutheran volleyball team with 12 kills on a .455 attack percentage as the Lutes swept Puget Sound 25-17, 26-24 and 25-11 in a Wednesday night Northwest Conference match at Memorial Fieldhouse.
This is the second time the Lutes have defeated their cross-town rivals this season, with the first being a 3-1 win at the Puget Sound Premiere Tournament in September. The win puts the PLU volleyball team at a 10-6 overall season record and a 4-3 conference record, while Puget Sound fell to 7-8 overall and 4-3 in the NWC.
"It was a great match for the Lutes, especially the second set being down 23-21 and finishing strong at the end to win 26-24," PLU head coach Kevin Aoki said. "We talked about finishing strong, and we did that tonight."
The Lutes felt the rivalry all night, and energy was high the entire match. Senior outside hitter Lucy Capron returned after missing the past two matches and said that the whole team came in ready to win.
"We went into the game with the rage of a pent-up lion," Capron said. "We not only wanted to win, but win in three. We came, we saw, we conquered."
PLU got more efficient as the night went on, improving from a .065 attack percentage in the first set to .282 in the second and .314 in the third. Muzzall finished with a match-best 12 kills, while Chloe Epker posted eight and Capron added seven kills and 10 digs. Kylai Cooley tallied 19 digs, while Kendle Valade-Nunez totaled 31 assists.
The first set saw five tie scores and four lead changes, with the Loggers staying with the Lutes for the first five points. PLU had a five-point streak, and then held a steady lead after the first 10 points. The Loggers came back to close the gap 16-14, but the Lutes held them at 17 points while they finished out the match on a six-point streak.
The Loggers came out stronger in the second set, and it was a point-for-point battle with 15 tie scores and seven lead changes. The two teams fought together until 20 points, when UPS scored three straight to nearly win the set. The Lutes fought back with a four-point streak that included a kill and a block by Michaela Edgers, but the Loggers battled off set point to tie it at 24-24. A service error gave PLU another set-point advantage, and Edgers teamed with Muzzall for another block to clinch the win.
UPS scored the first two points of the third set, but from there it was all PLU. The Lutes took the lead with an eight-point streak and continued to expand their lead to 13-4. Puget Sound scored three of the next five, but PLU followed with a 6-1 run to go up 21-8, and the Lutes closed it out with three of the final four points to claim the 25-11 match-clinching victory.
The Lutes return to their home court for the first time in six matches on Friday, when they host Linfield at 7 p.m.
