Setting the Scene: The Lutes close out their homestand tonight, facing in-state rival Whitman to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The two intrastate rivals have met 95 times since the 1982 campaign with PLU holding a commanding 73-22 edge in the all-time series. The Lutes swept the season series last fall, prevailing 3-1 on Oct. 27 inside Olson Gymnasium while earning a three-set sweep of the Blues on Sept. 29.
The two teams actually met earlier this year at the season-opening Whitman Invitational with the host Blues taking the match 3-1 on August 31.
About the Lutes: Defending NWC Champion Pacific Lutheran (11-4, 6-0 NWC) has been on a roll, heading into the weekend having won seven straight matches, 22 straight NWC matches, and 20 consecutive at home.
The Lutes had to work for their wins on the road last weekend, scratching out a 3-1 victory over Pacific University last Friday night before outlasting George Fox University 3-2 the following evening.
Against the Boxers, PLU took the opening set 25-17 but came up short 33-31 in a marathon second set. The third went long as well with PLU inching out a 28-26 victory before securing the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth.
Julissa Pernsteiner headlined the Lutes with a career-high 14 kills while also adding six blocks. Claire Hindman added 13 kills while Ayre Takamoto had a team-best 47 assists and Makenna Jackson led the defense with 19 digs.
On Saturday, the Lutes dropped the opening set 25-21 before winning the next two 25-23 and 25-12. George Fox evened the match after winning 28-26 in the fourth, setting up a decisive fifth set. Kailee Efros-Bohn solidified the win for PLU, getting the match clinching kill in a 15-13 set five victory.
Shaela Allen-Greggs led the Lute offense with 15 kills with Efros-Bohn collecting 10. Takamoto had 42 assists with Jackson collecting 20 digs. As a team, PLU had 17 aces on the night from six different servers.
NWC Rankings: The Lutes lead the league in team digs and aces per set, and total aces. Individually, Ayre Takamoto paces the conference in both assists per set (8.95) and total assists (492) while Makenna Jackson is second ion both total disc (275) and digs per set (5.00).
Mr. 500: Head Coach Kevin Aoki clinched his milestone 500th career win on the road back on Sept. 28, a 3-0 victory over Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Aoki, the head coach since 1996, heads into this weekend with a 502-226 career mark at his alma mater.
All-Star Attaways: Makenna Jackson had 39 digs and seven aces over the weekend and on Monday was tabbed the NWC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this fall.
The Roy, Washington native was previously recognized on Sept. 30 while Ayre Takamoto was the NWC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3.
About the Blues: Whitman (3-10, 2-4 NWC) heads into the weekend having won two of its last three matches. The Blues closed out the month of September with a 3-2 victory on the road against Linfield University before sweeping Lewis & Clark College 3-0 last Friday at home. Whitman almost completed the weekend undefeated, but fell in five sets to Willamette University last Saturday.
Arina Gushchina led the Blues in the loss, posting a match-high 18 kills.
Sophie Broesamle paces the Blues with 98 kills on the year, averaging 2.58 per set while Arina Gushchina has 91 kills. Haylee Pruse is the top distributer with 184 assists on the year while on the defensive end, Jamie Bartok has a team-high 173 digs.
Home Sweet Home: Olson Gymnasium has been a daunting environment for opposing teams with the Lutes enjoying a 138-20 record in the facility since the 2006 season, including winning the last 20 matches inside Olson. That includes unbeaten home records during the 2023, 2018, 2014, 2013, and 2007 campaigns.
Weekend Highlights from Around Luteville
Check out all the highlights from another great weekend in Luteville. Football went toe to toe with nationally ranked Whitworth on homecoming while volleyball, men's soccer, and women's soccer all went 2-0 on the road in Oregon.
NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Despite winning the NWC regular season and tournament titles last fall, the Lutes were picked to finish second in the conference standings in the annual preseason coaches' poll.
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.
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Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace through the department's partnership with Opendorse. Learn more about the deal here: LINK. 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.
Last spring PLU became just the second Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every Lute student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
Next Home Match:
Oct. 25 vs. Lewis & Clark at 7 p.m.
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