KIRKLAND, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University volleyball squad won the opening set but was unable to continue its momentum the rest of the match, succumbing 3-1 (17-25, 26-24, 25-20, 28-26) to a battle-tested Northwest University in the season opener on Wednesday night.

"It was great to play in front of fans in a great small gym that was packed with fans," said Head Coach Kevin Aoki. "The goal for tonight was to compete at a high level and the cool thing was that all 21 young women got some playing time."

In the opening set a 7-6 deficit morphed into a 13-7 advantage for the Lutes (0-1) who cruised to the 25-17 set win. PLU had the host Eagles (2-4) on the ropes in the second set, enjoying a 24-23 lead but Northwest capitalized with three consecutive points to escape with the 26-24 set win to level the score. The scales tilted in Northwest's favor with a 25-20 victory in set three before grinding out a 28-26 win in a marathon fourth set to secure the match.

Baylee Johnson paced the Lutes with 10 kills while Jazz Alston and McKenzie Pfeiffer each added eight. Emily Dulaney notched 28 assists while Halle Hetzler paced the team with 14 digs.

"It was awesome to play a match against a quality opponent and we look forward to some tough competition this weekend at the Puget Sound Premiere."

The Lutes are back on the court on Friday, facing Southwestern University and the University of Saint Thomas in day one of the Puget Sound Premiere.