Contact: Mark Albanese, Director of Sports Communication

NEWBERG, Ore. - The Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team returned to the win column on Saturday afternoon, besting host George Fox University 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-14, 25-15) in a Northwest Conference clash inside Wheeler Sports Complex.

The Lutes (5-7, 3-1 NWC) led wire-to-wire in the opening set, collecting the first four points of the set and never looked back in securing a 25-15 win. The Bruins (2-9, 0-4 NWC) answered in the second set, opening with seven consecutive points. Pacific Lutheran battled back, taking a 23-22 lead on a Bruin attack error but host George Fox utilized consecutive kills and a Lute error to escape with a 25-23 victory to level the match.

PLU notched seven of the first eight points in the third set, breezing to the 25-14 win before wrapping up the match with a 25-15 triumph in the fourth set.

"We played pretty solid except for the start of the second set," said Head Coach Kevin Aoki. "It was a good wake up call. Julia Hutchison really provided a spark for us tonight and we look forward to going to eastern Washington next week."

Danielle Skibiel paced the Lutes with 11 kills and five blocks with Gabrielle Alley and Chloe Epker adding seven kills apiece. Kiana Calles netted a double-double with a team-high 17 assists and 10 digs while Caylie Shiramizu paced PLU with 22 digs.

The Lutes return to the court next Friday, closing out September on the road against Whitman College.