Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran's homestand continues tonight, welcoming Oregon rival Willamette University to Olson Gymnasium.
Series History: The Lutes and Bearcats have met 96 times on the court since the 1980 season with PLU enjoying a 63-33 advantage in the all-time series. That includes the Lutes winning the last 10 meetings and 18 of the last 19. Pacific Lutheran hasn't lost to Willamette at home since the 2000 season. The two last met on Sept. 27 in Salem, Oregon with the visiting Lutes prevailing 3-1.
About the Lutes: Pacific Lutheran (10-8, 8-3 NWC) continued one streak and snapped another in Tuesday's wild five set thriller over crosstown rival University of Puget Sound. The Lutes extended their home win streak to 10 with the come from behind win while snapping the Loggers' 11 match win streak, sending UPS its first defeat of the conference season.
Tuesday's intracity showdown had 49 ties and 23 lead changes with four of the five sets going extra to determine the winner.
The Lutes (10-8, 8-3 NWC) had their backs against the wall in the fifth set, trailing 14-12 before getting consecutive kills from Shaela Allen-Greggs to tie the set. A Bailey Johnson ace tipped the scales 15-14 in favor of PLU before an Alexis Eggert block sealed the 16-14 set win to give the homestanding Lutes the come from behind win.
Allen-Greggs led the match with a career-high 22 kills, boasting a .316 attack percentage with three blocks while Julissa Pernsteiner had a similar career night with 19 kills and a .326 attack percentage.
The Lutes continue to be the top serving team in the league, leading the NWC in aces per set with 2.11. Macy Matsushima and Bailey Johnson are the two main culprits for the Lutes with 30 and 29 aces during the 2025 campaign.
Matsushima ranks second in the NWC in digs per set with 4.4 while Ayre Takamoto sits third in the league in assists with 8.3 per set. Alexis Eggert ranks fifth in the NWC in blocks (0.80 per set).
About the Bearcats: Willamette (9-9, 7-4 NWC) had a rocky start to conference play but has since won six straight, surging to fourth place in the league standings. The Bearcats opened conference with a 3-1 win over George Fox before dropping games against Whitman, Whitworth, Puget Sound and PLU.
Willamette rebounded with a five-set win over Linfield on Sept. 30 and has yet to lose in the month of October, ripping off wins over Pacific (3-0), Lewis & Clark (3-0), George Fox (3-2), Whitworth (3-2), and Whitman (3-0).
Caroline Jameson is the Bearcats' top offensive threat with 200 kills on the season. Lexie Scott has a team-best 3.24 kills per set while Leina Chu is the leader in assists, averaging 8.99 per set through the opening 18 matches of the season. Defensively, Dream Takemoto averages 4.8 digs per set with Katelynn Hooper boasting a team-high 38 blocks.
Home Sweet Home
The Lutes have been a tough team to beat inside Olson Gymnasium, owning a 62-9 record inside the facility since the 2017 campaign. That includes boasting an 24-1 record inside Olson since the 2023 season and currently owning a 10 match unbeaten streak.
Luteville Highlights
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:
Nov. 7 vs. 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