TACOMA, Wash. — The reigning Northwest Conference Tournament Champion Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team remained perfect in conference play, completing the first weekend of action with a decisive 3-0 (25-12, 25-8, 25-15) sweep of Pacific University on Saturday inside Olson Gymnasium.
It was the second straight 3-0 win for the Lutes (9-2, 2-0 NWC) who have yet to drop a set in NWC action.Â
Alexis Eggert tallied consecutive kills to begin the match as PLU raced out to an early 4-0 lead and led wire-to-wire in the 25-12 win. The Lutes were on fire midway through the set, scoring 10 of 11 to build a 21-8 lead, a stretch that saw three aces from
Leilah Reese Deuz and two from
Ayre Takamoto. PLU closed the set by winning four of the final five with a
Shaela Allen-Greggs kill closing the set 25-12 in favor of the hosts.
The Boxers (1-9, 0-3 NWC) tallied the opening two points of the second set in what proved to be their only lead of the night. PLU responded with seven straight and 13 of the next 14 and never looked back in the 25-8 thrashing.
PLU scored seven of the first eight and 11 of the first 13 in the third, cruising to a 25-15 set win to wrap up the match.
"It was a great weekend for Lute volleyball," said Head Coach
Kevin Aoki.
"It was great to get everyone in the match tonight. I thought we achieved our goal of starting quickly and maintaining our consistency throughout the match."
Eggert was deadly efficient with 10 kills on 17 attacks with no errors while Allen-Greggs was just as proficient with nine kills on 17 attacks with no errors.
Julissa Pernsteiner contributed seven kills while
Ayre Takamoto had a double-double with 29 assists and 12 digs.
Macy Matsushima led the Lutes defensively with 13 digs. PLU had 13 aces on the night, including five from Takamoto and three from Deuz.
The Lutes have a short turnaround, taking the next two days off before hosting arch-nemesis University of Puget Sound on Tuesday. First serve inside Olson Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m.
