TACOMA, Wash. — The Pacific Lutheran University volleyball team ran roughshod over a pair of opponents on Saturday to close out the Puget Sound Premiere at the University of Puget Sound's Memorial Fieldhouse. The Lutes rocked University of Wisconsin-River Falls 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21) in the opener before rolling the host Loggers 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-20) to close the night.
"What a great weekend for Lutes to play high-level volleyball against top level teams," said Head Coach
Kevin Aoki.
"It was a fun long weekend for the Lutes but really like setting the standard for Lute volleyball going forward. We're excited fo go to California to play four more top teams starting next Friday."
Against the Falcons (2-1), Pacific Lutheran (4-1) stole the opening set, scoring three of the set's final four points to claim the 25-22 victory. UWRF flipped the script in set two, scoring four of the final five for the 25-22 win to level the match. PLU led 21-10 in the third set before yielding 14 of the next 15 as the Falcons seized a 23-22 victory. PLU maintained its poise, scoring the final three points to secure the 25-23 set win. In the fourth, the Lutes used a 6-1 run midway through the set to seize control and grab the 25-21 set win to clinch the match. An
Alexis Eggert kill and a
Macy Matsushima ace ignited the early run, turning a 12-12 tie into a five-point lead while a
Julissa Pernsteiner kill cemented the win later in the set.
Pernsteiner and
Alexis Eggert led the Lute attack, finishing with 15 and 14 kills, respectively.
Ayre Takamoto set the stage with 40 assists while Matsushima and
Je T'aime Paio anchored the defensive work with 17 and 14 digs, respectively. Matsushima and
Mary Magoun both had three aces with Takamoto tallying two.
The Lutes made quick work of tournament host Puget Sound in the nightcap, breezing to the three-set sweep.
PLU led 10-7 in the opening set before exploding for 11 of the next 13, earning the 25-12 set win after getting consecutive kills from
Shaela Allen-Greggs and Pernsteiner. Set two was tied 8-8 but the Loggers couldn't keep pace with the red hot Lutes with a
Madi Mulipola ace giving PLU the 25-17 set win.
Host Puget Sound (0-4) led 11-10 in the third but five straight from the Lutes, including consecutive aces from Paio put PLU in the driver's seat. PLU led the rest of the way with a Takamoto ace giving PLU the 25-20 set win to sweep the match.
Allen-Greggs powered the Lutes with 11 kills with Pernsteiner adding eight. Takamoto had 28 assists with Matsushima providing 16 digs with Paio adding 10.
PLU wrapped up the Puget Sound Premiere with a 3-1 record after splitting day one against a pair of NCAA Tournament teams. The Lutes downed Franklin & Marshall College 3-0 before falling in five sets to No. 1 ranked and defending national champion University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
The Lutes head to California next weekend, facing Whitter College and University of Redlands on Friday.
