Setting the Scene: The Lutes celebrate their seven seniors tonight, wrapping up the 2024 home slate inside Olson Gymnasium against Oregon rival Pacific University.
Series History: The Lutes have battled the Boxers 91 times on the court since the 1980 season with PLU holding a 64-26 advantage in the series.
Pacific Lutheran has won eight straight in the series dating back to the 2019 campaign. That includes a 3-1 victory in Forest Grove back on Oct. 4— a match that saw Julissa Pernsteiner finish with 14 kills while Makenna Jackson had 19 digs.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (15-6, 10-2 NWC) split a pair of matches last week, dropping a five set heartbreaker to crosstown nemesis University of Puget Sound before rolling Lewis & Clark College 3-1 last Friday.
Tuesday's showdown against Puget Sound was a back and forth affair. The Lutes won the opening set 25-17 only to drop the next two by 25-18 and 25-16 scorelines. PLU prevailed 25-16 in the fourth to force a decisive fifth set. PLU had a rocky start to the fifth, conceding nine of the opening 11 points and was unable to recover as the host Loggers took the 15-9 to avoid the season sweep.
PLU responded in a big way just a few days later with Julissa Pernsteiner collecting 10 kills in a 3-1 win over Lewis & Clark.
Claire Hindman, Julissa Pernsteiner, and Shaela Allen-Greggs are a three-headed attack the headlines the PLU offense. Hindman has a team-best 178 kills on the year, averaging 2.25 per set while Pernsteiner is just two kills off Hindman, averaging 2.35 per set. Allen-Greggs leads the team in kills per set with 2.37 with 173 total kills on the year.
Pernsteiner has shown to be a versatile player at the net with a team-best 73 blocks while Alexis Eggert adds 48.
Ayre Takamoto is the reason for that offense success, netting 713 assists this fall, averaging 8.91 per set while also contributing 34 aces on the season.
Makenna Jackson has a team-leading 47 aces while averaging a team-high 4.73 digs per set.
NWC Rankings: The Lutes lead the league in service aces (191) and total digs (1,318), while sitting second in the nine league circuit in digs per set (16.27) and points.
Ayre Takamoto leads the league in assists with Makenna Jackson second overall in total aces and third in both aces per set and digs.
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 tonight with a 506-228 career mark at his alma mater.
About the Boxers: Pacific (8-12, 3-9 NWC) heads into the weekend looking to snap a four game slide. The Boxers defeated Lewis & Clark 3-1 on Oct. 12 but its been tough sledding since, getting swept 3-0 by Linfield before dropping a five setter to Whitman. Pacific dropped a 3-1 decision to Whitworth on Oct. 19 while coming up short 3-1 to George Fox last Saturday.
Mara Murphy paces Pacific offensively, averaging 3.72 kills per set while Emma Velchek is second on the squad with a 3.53 average. Rosie Frias quarterbacks the offense with a team best 242 assists on the season while defensively, Danica Nelson has a team-best 5.33 digs per set.
Home Sweet Home: Olson Gymnasium has been a daunting environment for opposing teams with the Lutes enjoying a 140-22 record in the facility since the 2006 season, including winning 22 of the last 23 matches inside Olson. That includes unbeaten home records during the 2023, 2018, 2014, 2013, and 2007 campaigns.
Thank You Seniors!
This year's senior class have left a legacy of success, winning one Northwest Conference title and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament last fall. That includes an impressive 66-32 overall record, a 49-11 mark in NWC play, and a 29-4 record in home matches inside Olson Gymnasium.
Weekend Highlights from Around Luteville
Check out all the highlights from another great weekend in Luteville. Football, men's and women's soccer, and volleyball combined to earn four wins over Lewis & Clark.
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.
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.
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 Match:
Nov. 8 at Whitman 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