team celebrates winning NWC tournament title

Caleb Flegel

Veteran Lutes Look to Take Next Step in 2026

By Mark Albanese, Director of Sports Communication

Entering his 30th season at the helm, Pacific Lutheran University Head Volleyball Coach Kevin Aoki is no stranger to success. Since taking the reins at his alma mater in 1996, Aoki has won over 500 matches, while claiming 12 Northwest Conference regular season titles and making 14 trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament. That success included a 2025 campaign that saw the Lutes win the NWC Tournament title for the second time in three years, punching a ticket to Boston for the national tournament.

With a veteran roster of 13 returners, eight upperclassmen, and all four All-Conference players from a season ago, the Lutes are looking to take the next step and are hungry for a chance to make a deep postseason run in 2026.

Kevin Aoki coaching the first day of practice 2026

It won’t be easy to get there with Aoki constructing a grueling non-conference slate that includes defending NCAA Division III Champion University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, NCAA runner-up University of La Verne, NCAA qualifier Franklin & Marshall College, in addition to NWC regular season co-champion University of Puget Sound.

The 2025 Lutes got off to a slow start but finished the season strong, winning nine of their final 10 matches against NWC foes, taking down NWC Co-Champion Puget Sound and host Whitworth University in the conference tournament to secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, before bowing out in the opening round to host Massachusetts Institute of Technology by a 3-0 scoreline. PLU ended the season with a 16-10 overall record and a 12-4 mark in league play with a nearly perfect 8-1 mark inside Olson Gymnasium.

Je'taime Paio celebrates point vs Whitman

I think we struggled in the first half of the season and in the second half we really turned it around to go 7-1 (to end NWC play), and then to come back and play the two top seeds and beat them. Hopefully this year we can start earlier as opposed to waiting half the year to figure it out, but credit to the players for turning it around and to play at a high level at the end of the season. That’s what you always want.

This year we have a different mentality. It was great to make the NCAAs but now you’re playing the No. 1 seed. So for us, what determines that is we need to not only win the conference tournament but it’s our non-conference that also matters. And the non-conference tournaments in the first two weeks are huge for NPI to ensure that you’re something higher than the No. 8 seed, and won’t have to face one of the bracket’s top teams right away.

Head Coach Kevin Aoki

2026 PLU Volleyball Roster

Headlining the returners is a senior class of Alexis Eggert, Savanna Colliado, and Shaela Allen-Greggs. The trio have made it to the NWC Tournament finals all three seasons, including two NWC Tournament titles. As first-years, the 2026 seniors were a part of the Lutes’ 16-0 NWC regular season run in 2023, navigating the Lutes into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

A Third Team All-Conference selection and a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honoree, Alexis Eggert returns after playing in all 95 sets last season. The Missoula, Montana native led the team in blocks with 67 and was second on the team kills with 236.

A Hilo, Hawaii native, Savanna Colliado played in 94 of the team’s 95 sets last fall racking up 225 digs and 29 service aces. PLU’s third senior is Third Team All-Conference selection Shaela Allen-Greggs from Yakima, Washington. Allen-Greggs returns to campus after spending the spring semester in a study abroad program in Spain. The outside hitter led the team in kills with 271 while also registering 31 blocks.

I think our three seniors really bring a veteran presence and have been through this before. This class was the class that made it to the NCAAs and went undefeated as first-years back in 2023, and went back to the NCAAs last year, so they know what it’s like.

They’ve been to the conference tournament three times in a row, and have won it twice. So they have a sense of ‘been there, done that, how can we get to the next level?’ They’re players that have played a lot and are a big part of what we do, and an important aspect for us as far as leadership. So we’re excited for them to go out in their senior year with a bang.

The Lutes have four juniors in Macy Matsushima, Ayre Takamoto, Madi Mulipola, and Julissa Pernsteiner. Honolulu, Hawaii natives Matsushima and Takamoto provide a one-two punch for the Lutes with Matsushima the squad’s All-Conference libero and Takamoto the team’s All-Conference setter.

“Obviously we have our setter in Ayre. She’s been an all-conference player the last two years. Now she’s a junior, our quarterback, and is being more vocal and is the leader on the floor. She’s getting a lot better at doing that and so I think this being her third year as a starter, it’s her time to shine.”

As a Second Team All-NWC selection last fall, Takamoto averaged 8.6 assists per set and was second on the team in digs with 259. Showing versatility, the Honolulu native and CSC Academic All-District award winner also had 29 blocks.

Ayre’s running mate is our libero Macy. This will be her second full year as a libero but third year starting. She’s played with Ayre since she was 12, so there’s a definite connection there, they’ve played together for almost 10 years.

Also a Second Team All-League selection, Matsushima was the team leader in digs with 428 last fall while posting a team-best 39 aces.

A Vancouver, Washington native, Pernsteiner played every set last fall, finishing third on the team with 229 kills while sitting second in blocks with 47 on the year. Rounding out the juniors is Federal Way, Washington native Madi Mulipola who played in 42 sets last fall but is looking to make an even greater impact this year as a defensive specialist.

Julissa has really come into her own. This year, she’s really now just focusing on playing middle. Last year she had to start out playing outside and finally got to play middle at the end.

There’s also some defensive players that will help. Maddie Mulipola has been on the team for the last two years. Hasn’t played a whole lot but she’ll get a chance to play DS.

The Lutes boast a half dozen sophomores on the roster with Je T’aime Paio headlining that list. The Kaneohe, Hawaii native missed the start of the season recovering from a shark bite but was a shark on the court down the stretch, playing in 65 sets and collecting 88 kills with 169 digs.

“We’re excited for her to finally be healthy and start the full year not dealing with the injury she had for half the season last year.”

Saint Paul, Minnesota native Clare Freberg and Stevenson, Washington native Samia Rudd add height to the ride side of the net while Kalaheo, Hawaii native Mary Magoun can play on the right side or left side. Rounded out the sophomores is Ewa Beach, Hawaii native Leilah Reese Duez and Fort Saint John, Canada native Audrey Hansma.

New to the squad is five first-years, including three from Hawaii and a pair from the State of Washington. Scarlett Schubert joins the Lutes from Spokane, Washington. A defensive specialist, Schubert attended Shadle Park High School. Krysta Sugai is the other in-state recruit, a setter hailing from nearby Puyallup High School in Puyallup, Washington.

The Hawaiian newcomers include Tiani Pitt from Kaneohe and Damien Memorial High School, Asa Parks from Kapolei High School in Kapolei, and Kalena Mariani from Makawao, Hawaii and Kamehameha Schools Maui.

Our backup middle will be Asa. She adds some height at almost 6’1” and has really shined in preseason so far. She only picked up the sport as a sophomore in high school after playing soccer, so she’s definitely on the upward trajectory.

Krista is so important because she’s running the ‘ready team.’ We got that from the Seattle Seahawks. Instead of saying the scout team or the second team, they’re the ready team because they’re one play away from jumping in and playing.

This year the Lutes had an early jump on the season after coming together for a foreign tour of Italy during the summer.

“The goal of the Italy trip was to have fun and enjoy a different culture, and we did that. I’d never been overseas before and volleyball was secondary on the trip. We had a couple of practices and played a few matches but it definitely helped us in the sense that the returning group of players got to be together.”

That early summer bonding will hopefully carry over come September with the Lutes wanting to hit the ground running. And despite being the preseason favorites in the NWC Coaches’ Poll, the Lutes aren’t taking anything for granted.

PLU Volleyball's Foreign Tour of Italy in the summer of 2026

We’re just excited to get the season going. Having 13 returning and five newcomers is a good mix. It’s going to be a tough conference this year. UPS has some transfers, Linfield will be better, Whitman will be better, and Whitworth is always up there, so you have to come to play every weekend in this league.

2026 Season Schedule