TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team hits the court this weekend with another tournament, heading to the Lone Star State for the UTD Tournament.

The 23rd-ranked Lutes hit the court hard last weekend in the Puget Sound Premiere, coming home with an impressive 4-0 record to open the season.

In their opening game against Widener University, the Lutes proved strong as returners and new Lutes banded together to pull off an impressive three-set win (25-19, 25-13, 25-12). Returner Lauren Wilson paired with freshman Baylee Johnson, snatching 10 kills each and set the tone for the game.

The Lutes continued to dominate the court against Wheaton College, claiming 25-10, 25-18, and 25-20 set decisions to win the match. First-year Halle Hetzler shined in her debut as the Lutes libero, achieving 10 digs throughout the game.

The third match against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology began with the Lutes winning four of five points in the opening set, and the Lutes continued to ride that momentum to a 3-1 win.

Host and PLU rival University of Puget Sound gave the Lutes a good fight, but in the end the Lutes proved too much, edging the hosts 25-23 in the first set before scoring 12 of the final 17 points in the second set for the 25-18 win. PLU wrapped up the match in three sets with a 25-21 win the third set with attacks from Lauren Wilson, McKenzie Pfeiffer, and Baylee Johnson pulling the team ahead and securing the match win.

"You never know how first-year players are going to mesh with the returners in the first weekend of the year but it was a great start," said assistant coach Rusty Carlson. "Our veterans showed great leadership and our newcomers are playing very well. We showed grit and passion and played with great effort all weekend."

Setter Emily Dulaney finished the tournament with 118 assists and was named the Puget Sound Premier Most Outstanding Player while Hetzler and Danielle Skibiel both claimed All-Tournament accolades. Skibiel was additionally honored as the Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Week, racking up a team-best 39 kills.

With four wins under their belt, the Lute volleyball team plans to continue to roll this weekend with four more matches at the UTD Tournament in Dallas, Texas.

Sept. 6: PLU vs. Southwestern at UTD Tournament in Dallas, Texas (10 a.m. Central)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Pirates have clashed three times on the court with Southwestern owning a slim 2-1 edge in the all-time series. The two teams last met during the 2016 season with the Pirates winning both encounters. 
 
About the Pirates: Southwestern (2-2) heads to Dallas after hosting its own tournament the previous weekend. The Pirates opened the season with a pair of 3-0 victories, downing Hardin-Simmons and Whittier College before seeing their fortunes reversed the following day, suffering 3-0 defeats at the hands of Carthage College and Whitworth University.
 
Lauren Crabtree leads the Pirate offensive attack, averaging 2.4 kills per set with a team-best seven service aces. Katelyn Whitehead is the squad's primary setter, averaging 8.0 assists per set while Ali Grona paces SU in digs with 52 on the young season. 
 
Sept. 6: PLU vs. Trinity at UTD Tournament in Dallas, Texas (3 p.m. Central)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Tigers have met four times with the series deadlocked at 2-2. The last meeting came during the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Tournament with the Lutes prevailing 3-1. 
 
About the Tigers: Seventh-ranked Trinity (4-0) heads to Dallas after winning four matches at its home tournament last weekend, including two wins over national-ranked squads. The Tigers smashed Neumann University 3-0 before downing 15th-ranked University of Mary Hardin-Baylor 3-1. Trinity swept University of Minnesota-Morris 3-0 before closing the weekend with a 3-1 win over 25th-ranked College of Saint Benedict. 
 
Avery Tuggle was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after racking up 47 kills and 45 digs over the weekend. Katrina Lieberman and Lexie Acevedo share the setting duties for the nationally-ranked Tigers, racking up 67 and 66 assists, respectively. 
 
Sept. 7: PLU at Texas-Dallas at UTD Tournament in Dallas, Texas (10 a.m. Central)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Comets have met twice with the Lutes prevailing both times. 
 
About the Comets: Texas-Dallas (2-2) serves as hosts and return home after competing last weekend at the Chicago Gargoyle Classic. The Comets opened the tourney with a 3-0 win over Concordia University Wisconsin before getting swept 3-0 at the hands of DePauw University. UTD secured a 3-0 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point the following day before falling 3-1 to host University of Chicago to close out the tournament.
 
Jillian Via emerged from the weekend with a team-high nine aces while pacing the squad by averaging 4.15 kills per set. Sydney Fitt and Caroline Shecterle contributed 79 and 75 assists over the weekend while Madison Ball racked up a team-high 77 digs at the tournament. 
 
Sept. 7: PLU vs. Hardin-Simmons at UTD Tournament in Dallas, Texas (12:30 p.m. Central)
 
Series History: The Lutes and Cowgirls have met just once with PLU prevailing 3-2 during the 2007 season. 
 
About the Cowgirls: Hardin-Simmons (1-3) heads to Dallas after competing last weekend at Southwestern's Fall Invite. The Cowgirls got off to a slow start, dropping matches to Southwestern and Carthage by 3-0 margins before taking down Whittier in five sets on Saturday. The Cowgirls ended the tourney on a sour note, getting tripped up 3-1 by Whitworth. 
 
Kaytlynn Lewis averages 2.08 kills per set to pace the team while Ashley Pierce is the primary setter, averaging 7.5 assists per game. Mary Johnson leads the team in digs, netting 4.93 per set while Sarah Bennett has a team-high 10 blocks.