TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team returned to the win column on Saturday night, breezing past Northwest Conference rival Whitman College 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-18) to close out the weekend homestand inside Olson Gymnasium. 

The opening set was deadlocked 6-6 before the Lutes (8-6, 1-1 NWC) tallied 10 of the next 11 points. PLU continued to apply the pressure scoring seven of the set's final nine points including a pair of service aces from Emily Dulaney to secure the 25-11 win. The Blues (0-8, 0-2 NWC) owned a 20-15 lead in the second set before the Lutes stormed back, scoring 10 of the final 12 points. Danielle Skibiel got things rolling with a kill while Hope Baldyga served up a pair of aces. McKenzie Pfeiffer closed out the set with a kill as PLu took set two by a 25-22 scoreline. 

Pacific Lutheran turned a tenuous 12-11 lead into an 18-12 buffer in the third set and received kills from Savanna Service and Skibiel to close the set 25-18 to give PLU its fourth three-set sweep of the season. 

Pfeiffer paced PLU with 10 kills while Skibiel and Baylee Johnson each added eight. Dulaney logged 29 assists while Halle Hetzler had 11 digs. Service was a menace at the net with eight blocks with Skibiel adding five. 

"I think for us today we focused a lot on our mental game and energy. When our team is high energy we just have fun and put the ball away. I think we did a really good job with that each set today," said Pfeiffer. 

The Lutes are back on the court on Friday, trekking to Newberg, Oregon to face NWC nemesis George Fox University.