DENVER, Colo. - Head Coach
Kevin Aoki collected his milestone 400th win on Friday afternoon as the 12th-ranked Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team collected a pair of 3-0 victories to open up the Spike It Up Classic.
The Lutes (6-0) began the day by thrashing host Johnson & Wales University 3-0 (25-7, 25-13, 25-20) before breezing by Briar Cliff University 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-21) Aoki's 400th career victory.
"It was a great day today," said Aoki. "The second match was a really tough opponent and we found a way to take it to a new level.
Emily Dulaney set the tone with some tough serving and
Jordan Sherfey came off the bench with some big kills. I have been blessed with so many great student-athletes and coaches. The 400 victories goes to everyone who has played and coached volleyball at PLU!"
In the opener against the host Wildcats (0-5), the Lutes held a tenuous 7-6 lead in the opening set before scoring 18 of the next 19 points to secure a commanding 25-7 victory in set one. PLU tallied the opening seven points of set two in a 25-13 win before rallying from an early deficit to win 25-20 in the third to complete the sweep.
Savanna Service led the Lutes with six kills while
Chloe Epker,
Mackenzie Harris, and
Angelica Hulett all finishing with five.
Ava Nelson and
Isabella Zubrod finished with 12 and nine assists, respectively, while Epker accumulated nine digs.
Against the Chargers (3-3), PLU tallied nine of the first 10 points of set one, weathering a late barrage by Briar Cliff and holding on for the 25-22 win. The Lutes led wire-to-wire in the second set, tallying the 25-19 win before scoring the final three points of set three for the 25-21.
Lauren Wilson added the exclamation point on the day with the match-winning kill to give Aoki the milestone.
Danielle Skibiel and Zubrod led the way with eight kills while Zubrod added 20 assists.
Caylie Shiramizu led the defensive efforts, racking up 21 digs.
The Lutes are back on the court tomorrow, facing the University of Minnesota Morris to open the day before clashing with second-ranked Colorado College to close the tournament.
