Box Score

PARKLAND, Wash. - Winner of three straight Northwest Conference women's volleyball championships and favored to make it four in a row this season, the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes began their title defense with a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) over the George Fox University Bruins Friday night here at Olson Auditorium.

Pacific Lutheran, ranked 19th in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III national poll, used a George Fox service error to break a 7-7 deadlock in the first set, giving the Lutes a lead they would not lose. Kelcy Joynt's service ace put the Lutes ahead 16-10, but the Bruins rallied to within four points at 22-18 before three consecutive attack errors put the first set in the Lutes' column.

George Fox took the early lead in the second set, taking a 12-8 advantage when Eliza Pledger and Lyndsay Hovee stuffed a PLU attack at the net. The Lutes rallied with four straight points, including a pair of Joynt kills, and then scored six straight points at 14-14, five with Blair Bjorkman serving, to take a 20-14 lead. With the score 24-22, Hanna finished the set with an emphatic kill.

Another six-point run by the Lutes proved decisive in the third set as PLU came back from a 5-4 deficit to go ahead 10-5. The home team pulled away to a 17-8 lead before the Bruins rallied behind Ali Toedtemeier's serve, cutting the deficit to 18-14. After a PLU timeout, Hanna pounded down a kill and the Lutes went on to close out the sweep.

Hovee led all players with 12 kills for the Bruins, and Stephanie Kerr contributed 11 kills and only one error in 18 attempts for an impressive .556 attack percentage.  Pledger had seven kills and hit .333.  Lani Rasmussen recorded 17 assists and Toedtemeier 16.  Hovee led the defense with 10 digs and Rasmussen chipped in with nine.

PLU's three-pronged attack of outside hitters Hanna and Kelsie Moore and middle blocker Joynt combined for 28 of the Lutes' 39 total kills. Moore led the Lutes with 10 kills, while Joynt and Hanna had nine kills each.  Sarah Beaver passed out 30 assists and hit .625 with five kills in eight attacks. Joynt and Hanna both had 10 digs, while Brenna Archibald and Bjorkman had nine each.  Archibald and Bjorkman also had three each of the Lutes' eight service aces.

George Fox (5-3, NWC 0-2) returns home to play Northwest Christian University Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in a non-conference match.  Pacific Lutheran (5-5, NWC 1-0) is back in action Saturday at 7:00 p.m. when it hosts Pacific University in another Northwest Conference match.