Sept. 2, 2007

Matz Earns All-Tournament Honors to Lead Lutes

Hardin-Simmons Box Score
Trinity Box Score
Cortland State Box Score
Concordia-Austin Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, Tex. – Senior outside hitter Stacie Matz (pictured) earned all-tournament honors as Pacific Lutheran split a pair of matches on both Friday and Saturday to finish with a 2-2 record at the River City Classic hosted by Trinity University.

On Friday, the Lutes played a pair of tough five-game matches. They opened with a 30-27, 30-15, 26-30, 31-33, 15-6 victory over Hardin-Simmons (Texas), and with little rest came right back to take the No. 7-ranked Trinity Tigers to the fifth game before losing 29-31, 30-27, 30-27, 29-31, 16-14.

Less than 18 hours later, the Lutes were back on the court, and their long Friday came back to affect them in a 30-20, 26-30, 29-31, 30-22, 15-9 defeat to Cortland State. PLU finished the tournament with a victory over Concordia-Austin, 30-18, 30-14, 30-20.

"The Trinity game was awesome," said PLU head coach Kevin Aoki. "It was some of the best volleyball played by a PLU team in my 12 years (as head coach). We played them tough, especially playing right after we went five games with Hardin Simmons while Trinity rested and played at their home court. We hung in there against the number seven team in the nation."

Pacific Lutheran finishes back-to-back weekend tournaments with a 5-3 overall record. It opens the Northwest Conference season, and its 2007 home schedule, at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, against Willamette. The following night, the Lutes host NWC foe Lewis & Clark at 7 p.m. in Olson Auditorium.

- PLU -