Setting the Scene: We're back! After three months off, the Pacific Lutheran University Athletic Department is ready to kick off another year with six sports in action this week, including home games for football and men's soccer. Volleyball competes locally this week in both Kirkland and across town at the University of Puget Sound, cross country heads to Oregon, while the nine-time Northwest Conference Champion women's soccer squad starts the year in Ohio.

TUESDAY:
VB at Northwest in Kirkland, Wash. (7 p.m.)
FRIDAY:
XC at Lewis & Clark XC Opener in Estacada, Ore. (10 a.m.)
VB vs. Franklin & Marshall at Puget Sound Tournament (11:15 a.m.)
WSOC vs. #11 Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio (3 p.m. ET)
VB vs. #1 Wisconsin-Oshkosh at Puget Sound Tournament (5:15 p.m.)
MSOC hosts Chapman at East Field (6 p.m.)
SATURDAY:
VB vs. Wisconsin-River Falls at Puget Sound Tournament (11:30 a.m.)
FB hosts California Lutheran at Mount Tahoma Stadium (1 p.m.)
WSOC at Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Ohio (7 p.m. ET)
VB at Puget Sound at Puget Sound Tournament (7 p.m.)
SUNDAY:
MSOC hosts Lake Forest at East Field (11 a.m.)

Get with the Flo: Last summer the Northwest Conference signed an exclusive five-year deal with FloSports to be the live streaming platform of the Lutes and the rest of the conference.
 
Make sure to sign up for FloSports today so you don't miss any of the action at home or on the road. Sign up today: LINK

Volleyball: The 2025 NWC Tournament Champion Lutes (16-10, 12-4 NWC in 2025) look to return to the NCAA Tournament this fall with a veteran roster of 13 returners and eight upperclassmen. 
 
This week will be a big test for the Lutes, facing reigning national champion University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, NCAA Tournament qualifier Franklin & Marshall College, along with NWC Regular Season Co-Champion University of Puget Sound.

PLU enters the season with big expectations, including earning the top spot in the annual NWC preseason coaches' poll. 
 
Learn more about the 2026 Lutes in our season preview: LINK

Football: The Lutes open the lid on the 2026 season on Saturday against West Coast rival California Lutheran University, a series that has been played annually since the 2004 season. 

Pacific Lutheran finished third in the NWC last fall with a 6-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in league play and was picked to place third in the annual preseason coaches' poll. 
 
Learn more about the 2026 gridiron Lutes in our season preview: LINK
 
Men's Soccer: Pacific Lutheran enjoys the comforts of home to open the 2026 season, welcoming squads from California and Illinois to begin the year.

The Lutes wrapped up last season with a 13-4-3 overall record and a 12-1-3 mark in league play, finishing second overall in the team standings after falling 3-1 to Whitman College in the season finale that was a de facto playoff game for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

PLU was picked to place second in the league according to the annual preseason coaches' poll and returns several weapons from last year's team, including top goalscorers and First Team All-Conference selections Owen Bliskis and Connor O'Brien along with Second Team All-League goalkeeper Gio Aguilar-Gutierrez.

Be on the lookout for the team's season preview, dropping later this week.   
 
Women's Soccer: The Lutes look to maintain their grip on the top of the NWC standings this fall, entering the year as the reigning nine-time league champions. 

Pacific Lutheran hasn't lost a league game in over two years, closing last year with a 12-2-6 overall record and a 12-0-4 mark in conference play. The Lutes tied crosstown rival Puget Sound for the title but the Loggers were given the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on tiebreakers.

This season should be another showdown between the Tacoma schools with PLU picked second in the preseason coaches' poll and Puget Sound picked first.

PLU returns leading scorer Liv Olson from a season ago but has big shoes to fill on an elite defense that allowed just three goals during the 16-game conference slate. 

Keep your eyes peeled for our annual season preview later this week. 

Cross Country: The Lutes lace up the spikes on Friday morning for the first of four races before the 2026 NWC Championships held on Oct. 31 at the Oak Knoll Golf Course in Independence, Oregon.

Under second year Head Coach Francis Reynolds, the Lutes look to move up the charts after being picked to finish eighth for both the men and women. 

Check back to GoLutes later in the week for the annual season preview.

Download the GoLutes App: Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University Athletic Department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gamely details and more, the PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Link to download on Google Play: LINK

Link to download on Apple App Store: LINK