TACOMA, Wash. — It was uncharted territory for the Northwest Conference leading Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team on Wednesday night, facing a two-set deficit for the first time during league play. The Lutes dug deep over the next three sets, rallying to the 3-2 (28-30, 26-28, 26-24, 25-22, 15-13) victory over crosstown rival University of Puget Sound for the squad's 11th consecutive victory.
Halle Hetzler delivered the win in the fifth set for the Lutes (12-7, 11-0 NWC), netting an ace to close out the set 15-13 in favor of visiting PLU. The ace came after a Logger service error in a volatile final set that featured five lead changes and nine ties.
"What an incredible match for both teams," said Head Coach
Kevin Aoki.
"UPS brought it tonight but we loved how our team stayed the course. It was a great atmosphere and shout out goes to the fans that really made the difference for us! Attaway!"
It was a marathon opening set featuring five lead changes and 19 ties. The host Loggers (13-6, 6-5 NWC) took an early 4-1 lead but that would be the largest margin the rest of the set. PLU pushed ahead 26-25 on an
Elle Thomas kill but was unable to capitalize as Puget Sound used a pair of late kills to squeak out the 30-28 opening set win.
The second set was another hotly contested affair. PLU trailed 24-18 before ripping off six straight, including three kills from Thomas to knot the score at 24. The Loggers once again stole the set courtesy of a kill and a block to take the 28-26 victory.
The third set was deadlocked at 21 and again at 24 before a
Claire Hindman kill and a Logger ball handling error gave the Lutes the 26-24 set win.
Pacific Lutheran spotted the Loggers the opening four points of the fourth set before ripping off eight straight, including seven off the service of Tori Takeuchi. The visiting Lutes played with the lead the rest of the set, forcing a decisive fifth set after a UPS service error gave the Lutes the 25-22 win.
Baylee Johnson and
Claire Hindman led the charge, both collecting 17 kills with Hindman boasting a .333 attack percentage. Johnson's 17th and final kill gave her 1,000 for her career. Thomas added 11 kills while
Hailey Iha contributed 10.
Olivia Evaro had 53 assists and 17 digs while Hetzler added 37 digs, seven assists and three aces with
Torie Takeuchi serving up four aces along with 17 digs.
The Lutes are back in action on Saturday, opening up a three-match homestand by welcoming Willamette University to Olson Gymnasium. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
