TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team closed out the Puget Sound Premiere on Saturday, splitting matches against a pair of in-state rivals. The Lutes steamrolled Whitman College 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-17) before a late rally came up short in a 3-2 (25-20, 25-16, 19-25, 21-25, 15-10) setback to host University of Puget Sound.
 
The Lutes (2-3) wasted little time asserting their dominance in the opening match against the Blues (1-3), ripping off the opening five points off the serve of Emily Dulaney. Whitman battled back, tying the set at 12. The scoreline remained tight with PLU holding a slim 21-20 advantage before closing the set on another 5-0 run with a Callie Simmonds kill giving the Lutes the 25-20 set win. 
 
Set two saw another strong finish for the Lutes, scoring the final eight points for the 25-14 victory. PLU tallied 11 of the first 12 points in set three, coasting to a 25-17 win with Mackenzie Pfeiffer providing the match-ending kill to wrap things up in straight sets. 
 
Pfeiffer led the Lutes' offensive attack with 16 kills with Baylee Johnson adding nine. Emily Dulaney had 27 assists and 13 digs while Halle Hetzler had 19 digs.
 
Against the Loggers (3-2), a Hetzler service ace tied the opening set at 17 but the hosts slowly started pulling away, including scoring four of the final five points for the 25-20 set win. A Johnson kill opened up the second set but the Loggers tallied the next seven, leading the rest of the way in a 25-16 set win. 
 
In the third a pair of Johnson kills followed by a Jazz Alston kill gave the Lutes a 16-9 advantage. PLU would keep Puget Sound at arms length the rest of the set, prevailing 25-19 before grinding out a 25-21 win in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set.
 
A Pfeiffer kills gave the Lutes an early 5-3 lead but UPS battled back, taking the lead for good at 8-7 and scoring the final three points to secure the 15-10 set win to secure the match.
 
Johnson collected 18 kills in the nightcap with Pfeiffer contributing 13 kills. Jazz Alston finished with nine kills on just 15 total attacks, along with four blocks. Dulaney had 38 assists and 22 digs while Hetzler had 18 digs. 

"Great volleyball today beginning with our match with Whitman. We came out early and was on top of our game. The UPS match was a classic volleyball match that you usually don't see this early in the year. Proud of how we battled after being down 2 sets to force it to 5. I thought Baylee Johnson was a dominant force with her kills but it was a total team effort. Excited for next week's Cali tourney," said Head Coach Kevin Aoki.

The Lutes are back on the floor on Friday, facing Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 12 p.m. in La Verne, California.