One Weekend. Three Titles. This is Luteville.

It was a banner weekend for Pacific Lutheran University athletic department, clinching three Northwest Conference titles over the weekend!

Volleyball remained undefeated in NWC action by taking down in-state rival Whitworth 3-2 to secure the program's first crown since 2018 on Saturday night. On Sunday, women's soccer continued its reign atop the league, smashing Lewis & Clark 2-0 to capture the program's seventh consecutive conference title. The afternoon was more of the same with men's soccer dispatching the Pioneers 5-0 for its fifth title over the past six full seasons of league play and sixth title over the past seven years.

Total Domination

How do you wrap up the regular season title with two games to spare? Well let's take a look at the numbers…

PLU volleyball is 14-0 in NWC play this year. They sit two wins shy of the program's third ever perfect conference season and first since 2009. This year the Lutes have won 42 of the 51 sets played in conference, winning seven of their 14 league matches in straight sets. Only two matches this year have gone to five sets.

PLU women's soccer is 12-2 in NWC play this year. The Lutes have outscored its league foes 44-7 this fall, including winning nine of their 14 league games by shutout.

PLU men's soccer is 12-0-2 in conference action this fall, having won eight straight. The Lutes have outgunned the rest of the league 62-7 this year, winning nine of their 14 games by shutout. 

Combined, the three programs have a 38-2-2 record in conference games, including a 21-1 record at home.

Thank You Seniors! 
Setting the foundation for the three championship runs have been the 2023 seniors from all three programs. 

The volleyball seniors won 54 matches over the past four seasons, including a 45-13 record in NWC play and a 26-4 record at home inside Olson Gymnasium.

Women' soccer seniors boast 55 victories over the past four seasons with a 43-8-3 record in conference action and a 25-4-1 record at home at East Field. 

Men's soccer has 55 wins over the last four seasons, 40 in NWC play, and a 26-5-1 record at East Field.

Combined, the three programs accumulated 164 wins over the last four seasons with 128 NWC victories and an incredible 77-13-2 record at home. 

Building Dynasties!

All three programs share a familiar thread— being guided by a longtime Head Coach that is also a Lute alum. 

The Dean of PLU coaching is volleyball's Kevin Aoki. In year 28, Aoki has been the Lutes' head coach for all 12 of the program's league titles. Aoki owns an incredible  485-221 record with the Lutes, winning over 68 percent of the matches he's coached. 

Men's Soccer's John Yorke has patrolled the sidelines for the Lutes since the 2002 season. Under his direction the Lutes have won six league titles, including four since 2018. Yorke has a career .639 winning percentage at PLU, having won 260 career games. 

A relative newbie, compared to the other two, Seth Spidahl is in his 12th year at PLU, a run that has seen the program win seventh straight Northwest Conference titles. Spidahl has won 163 games over his 12 years on campus, boasting a .772 winning percentage. 

Combined, the three coaches have won 25 Northwest Conference titles!

What's Next?

All three teams clinched conference titles with two games remaining in the regular season. After next weekend, men's and women's soccer will learn where they head to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division III Tournament while the volleyball team will host the 2023 NWC Tournament to be held on Nov. 10-11.