Setting the Scene: NWC-leading Pacific Lutheran gears up for its final homestand of the regular season, welcoming Willamette to Olson Gymnasium in the first of three straight home matches.
Series History: The Lutes and Bearcats have met 81 times since the 1980 season with PLU enjoying a 58-33 edge in the all-time series. PLU has won five straight in the series, including a 3-0 victory over the Bearcats back on Sept. 22 in Salem.
About the Lutes:The first-place Lutes (12-7, 11-0 NWC) are on fire, opening up a three-match homestand with an 11-match win streak.
PLU rolled Pacific University 3-1 last Thursday and took care of Linfield University 3-0 last Friday. On Wednesday, the Lutes trailed crosstown rival University of Puget Sound 2-0 before winning the final three sets for a dramatic 3-2 victory to stay perfect in conference play.
Wednesday was the first five set match for the Lutes during conference play, having won 33 of the 39 sets played so far.
Against UPS, the Loggers took the marathon opening set 30-28 before sneaking out a 28-26 win in set two. PLU stole the third set 26-24 and forced a fifth set after prevailing 25-22 in the fourth.
The fifth set featured five lead changes and nine ties. The Logger led 12-11 before a UPS service error and a Claire Hindman kill pushed the score 13-12 in favor of the Lutes. A Lute attack error tied the match at 13 but a UPS service error followed by a Halle Hetzler ace, gave the Lutes the dramatic win.
Baylee Johnson and Hindman both finished with 17 kills on the night. Johnson's 17th kill in the fifth set gave her 1,000 for her career.
Olivia Evaro was named the NWC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The sophomore currently ranks 15th in the nation in assists per game (9.97) while Halle Hetzler leads the nation in digs per set (7.13) and is second in total digs (506).
About the Bearcats: Willamette (10-7, 5-5 NWC) heads into the weekend sitting in fifth place in the conference standings, just a half game back from the fourth and final spot for the NWC Tournament.
Since last meeting the Lutes, Willamette has won five of its last seven. The Bearcats fell 3-0 to both George Fox (Oct. 7) and Whitworth (Oct. 13) but rebounded last Saturday with a 3-0 home sweep of Whitman.
Olivia Cadien is the team leader in kills with 221 on the season, averaging 3.75 per set while Katey Cramer had 138 kills to her name this fall. Emma Porter is the primary setter with 474 assists on the year (8.0 per set) while defensively, Shyla Sato is averaging a team-best 5.76 digs per set.
Home Sweet Home: Olson Gymnasium has been a daunting environment for opposing teams with the Lutes enjoying a 129-20 record in the facility since the 2006 season. That includes unbeaten home records during the 2018, 2014, 2013, and 2007 campaigns.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Lute Highlights vs. UPS
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
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, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Match:
Oct. 27 vs. Whitman at 7 p.m.
The Hidden Opponent
PLU women's soccer student-athletes Julia Causbie and Kayden Hulquist have started an official chapter of The Hidden Opponent on campus. Learn more about the club that supports student-athlete mental health in the video below.
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu