TACOMA, Wash. - The 12th-rankedPacific Lutheran University women's volleyball team is hitting the court this weekend to take part in the Spike It Up Classic taking place in Denver and Colorado Springs.
After a four-match win streak at the Puget Sound Premiere, the nationally-ranked Lutes (4-0) are looking to continue their success against Johnson & Wales University and Briar Cliff University on Friday and against the University of Minnesota-Morris and second-ranked Colorado College on Saturday.
In the first four matches of the season, the Lutes have not dropped a single set to any of their opponents, and they aren't looking to break that streak.
"After last weekend and not dropping a set at UPS I feel really good about our potential for this season. We still have a lot to work on skill wise but one thing that will help us a lot throughout the season is how close our team is which each other," said senior
Chloe Epker, who along with
Caylie Shiramizuand
Isabella Zubrod, was named to the All-Tournament Team. "In preseason we really emphasize getting to know one another off the court and developing relationships."
That closeness within the PLU team is something that has helped the Lutes unite as a team during the preseason. The opportunity to travel as a team to another state will serve as yet another chance for the team to grow closer.
"I'm really looking forward to getting to travel with my team to Colorado this weekend. It will be a good experience to compete with some strong teams as well as bond as a team and enjoy spending some time together!" said Epker.
Head Coach Kevin Aoki, who sits two wins shy of 400 for his career heading into the weekend, attributes a lot of the success to the strength of the program.
"I have had just outstanding student-athletes and assistant coaches in my 23 years. It's not about me but more importantly about the program and PLU."
The weekend gets underway on Friday against host Johnson & Wales and Briar Cliff in Denver before the tourney shifts to Colorado Springs with games against Minnesota-Morris and host Colorado College.
Sept. 7: PLU vs. Johnson & Wales in Denver, Colorado (12 p.m.)
Series History: This is the first all-time meeting on the court between the Lutes and Wildcats.
About the Wildcats: Johnson & Wales (0-4) heads into the tournament searching for its first victory of the season, dropping four matches at the hands of Northwest Conference opponents at the Oregon Trail Classic in Portland, Oregon. The Wildcats opened last Friday with 3-0 setbacks against Willamette University and Lewis & Clark College while suffering the same fate on Saturday, dropping 3-0 decisions to Whitworth University and Linfield College.
Brooke Paxton leads the team in kills with 2.92 per set while Kaitlin Jones averages a team-best 3.5 digs per set.
Sept. 7: PLU vs. Briar Cliff in Denver, Colorado (3 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Chargers have never met on the volleyball court.
About the Chargers: Briar Cliff (3-2, 0-1 Great Plains Athletic Conference), a member of the NAIA, competed at the Red Raider Classic to open the season before falling 3-0 to nationally-ranked Northwestern College (Iowa) in the GPAC opener. Briar Cliff's only other setback this season came at the hands of another nationally-ranked foe, falling 3-1 to Grand View University at the Red Raider Classic.
Cortney Schafer leads the team in kills, racking up 50 on the season while Danielle Coronado has averaged a team-best 3.63 digs per set.
Sept. 8: PLU vs. Minnesota-Morris in Colorado Springs, Colorado (2 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Cougars will be meeting for this first time on Saturday.
About the Cougars: Minnesota-Morris (3-2) opened the season at the UW-Whitewater Invitational, winning three and dropping just one match at the hands of host University of Wisconsin-Whitewater before suffering a 3-1 setback to Bethel University on Tuesday night.
Rachel Mathias leads the team in kills, averaging 2.95 per set, Layne Herrmann is the squad's primary setter, racking up 9.42 assists per game while on the defensive end, Alyssa Ukestad is averaging 4.0 digs per set.
Sept. 8: PLU vs. Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado (4 p.m.)
Series History: The Lutes and Tigers have met four times on the court with CC winning all four encounters. The squad's last met in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament last year with Colorado College escaping with the 3-2 victory.
About the Tigers: Second-ranked Colorado College (4-0) hosted a tournament last weekend, winning three of its four matches in three sets. The lone match to extend beyond three was a 3-1 victory over the University of Saint Thomas to wrap up the tournament.
Isabella Vasquez (3.12 kills per set) and Haley Harris (3.0 kills/set) power the potent Tiger attack while Lizzy Counts is the top distributor, averaging 9.83 assists per set. On the defensive end, Rachel Krutz averages 4.45 digs/set while Margo Speathling accounts for 13 of the squads' 26 blocks this season.
