Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran finishes off its homestand tonight, welcoming Oregon rival George Fox University to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Bruins have battled 79 times since the 1980 season with the series tilted 52-27 in favor of PLU. Pacific Lutheran has won the last five encounters, prevailing 3-2 last fall in Newberg and 3-1 inside Olson Gymnasium.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (2-5) racked up 21 aces in last Friday's home opener at Olson Gymnasium, outlasting Columbia Bible College (Canada) in five sets.
Bailey Johnson was one of eight Lutes to collect an ace on the night, finishing with six along with 14 digs. Julissa Pernsteiner led the offense with 13 kills while Alexis Eggert had nine with a .318 attack percentage while also serving up four aces.
The match wrapped up a non-conference slate that saw the Lutes face some tough opposition at two separate tournaments. PLU opened the year with a 3-1 win over Southwestern University (Texas) at the Puget Sound Premiere but dropped its final two matches against Gustavus Adolphus College (3-1) and host University of Puget Sound (3-0).
The Lutes flew to Wisconsin the following weekend, playing three more matches at the UW-Whitewater Tournament. PLU fell 3-0 to #2 UW-Whitewater in the opening match before falling 3-2 to Concordia University (Wis.) and 3-0 to Elmhurst College (Ill.).
Macy Matsushima heads into conference play ranked second in the league in digs per set, averaging 4.4 per set. Shaela Allen-Greggs leads the team in kills with 67 through the opening seven matches while Julissa Pernsteiner is close behind with 64. Ayre Takamoto continues to be the primary setter, averaging 7.9 assists per set.
About the Bruins: George Fox (3-4, 0-1 NWC) got an early jump on conference play, falling 3-1 to Willamette University last Friday. The Bruins took the third set in convincing fashion, posting a 25-12 win to avoid the sweep.
George Fox opened the season in Georgia at the Covenant Tournament, winning two of its four matches. The Bruins earned three set sweeps against Pfeiffer University and Spaulding University but were on the other side of sweeps against Southern Virginia University and Covenant College.
Lexi Baer leads the team in kills with 62, one of three Bruins with at least 50 kills. Baer also boasts a .248 hitting percentage through the opening seven matches. Mikaela Kronholm is the primary setter, averaging 6.0 assists per set while defensively, Gracie Bearden contributes 3.5 digs per set.
Home Sweet Home
The Lutes have been a tough team to beat inside Olson Gymnasium, owning a 57-9 record inside the facility since the 2017 campaign. That includes boasting an 19-1 record inside Olson since the 2023 season.
Highlights from Luteville
NWC Coaches' Poll
This August, the Lutes were picked to finish second in the league standings in what coaches believe will be a tight race for the conference title. One point is all that separates PLU from the top spot with three points the buffer from first to third.
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. 3 vs. Linfield 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