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November 2007
PLU Lutes Volleyball Off to a Great Start

     The 2007 Pacific Lutheran volleyball team is in the midst of a record-setting season. Pacific Lutheran, unbeaten in 12 conference matches, is assured of at least a tie for the Northwest Conference championship and needs just one win in its final four conference matches to win the title outright. With the conference title comes a berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament. Pacific Lutheran has now won outright or shared the conference championship four times in the 12-year tenure of head coach Kevin Aoki. The Lutes won the outright conference crown in 1999 and in 2004 and shared the title with Linfield last year.

     The team's success has been noticed at the regional and national levels. PLU is currently ranked No. 1 in the region and is No. 14 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III national poll.

     Few teams in Division III volleyball have been as hot as the Lutes, who last Friday against George Fox tied a school record with their 15th consecutive victory. The record was initially set by the 2004 PLU team that won the conference championship and advanced into the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The 2007 team can set a new record for consecutive victories if it defeats the Whitman Missionaries on Friday, Oct. 26, in Olson Auditorium. In addition, the team is approaching the school-record 21 victories and .808 winning percentage established by the 2003 team.

     Among the 15 straight wins are two conference victories over the rival Puget Sound Loggers. As a result, PLU seniors Gina Di Maggio and Megan Kosel became the first Pacific Lutheran volleyball players to sweep the rival Puget Sound Loggers in four straight years of Northwest Conference matches. Since the 2004 season, the Lutes have won eight straight against the Loggers in conference play and they are 9-1 overall, including a pair of early season tournament matches. The Lutes' other seniors, Stacie Matz and Olivia Fagerberg, have both played three seasons for PLU.

     The team's success has also translated into a couple of individuals who have a chance to establish new school records. Freshman outside hitter Beth Hanna currently averages 5.23 kills per game, while the current record is 5.01 held by recent PLU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Rachelle Snowdon. Gina DiMaggio is on pace to break the assist per game record of 11.56 that she set her freshman year. DiMaggio is currently averaging 11.85 assists per game.

     Coach Aoki is also on the verge of a milestone. He has a 198-109 career coaching record and needs two more wins to reach the 200-victory plateau. He has been named the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year three times (1999, 2004 and 2006) and in 2004 was selected as the AVCA West Region Coach of the Year.

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