|
 |
Northwest Conference Championships 1999 - 2004 - 2006 - 2007 |
 |
|
Nov. 4, 2006 Lutes Claim Share of Northwest Conference Volleyball Title
TACOMA, Wash. – Pacific Lutheran claimed a share of the Northwest Conference volleyball championship by beating the visiting George Fox Bruins, 30-23, 30-25, 30-15, on Saturday night in Olson Auditorium. The Lutes (20-6 overall) finished the regular season with a 14-2 conference record, good for a co-championship with the Linfield Wildcats, who defeated Lewis & Clark in three games on Saturday night. Linfield earns the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division III by virtue of the NWC tiebreaker procedure. Pacific Lutheran hopes to earn an at-large bid to the tournament, which starts next week with regional action. The University of La Verne, located in La Verne, Calif., is the host site for the West Region tournament. The entire 60-team NCAA Division III tournament field will be announced on Sunday evening. The Lutes hit .300 as a team and used a balanced attack to win the first game, though they had to rally from a 21-19 deficit. They rolled off six straight points, two on kills by Kati McGinn, to take a 25-21 lead. Kelcy Joynt had six kills and hit .625 to pace the Lutes, who also got five kills apiece from McGinn and Stacie Matz. Gina Di Maggio had 18 of her match-high 46 assists in the first game. Karina Philliber had six kills to lead the Bruins’ first-game effort. In game two, George Fox raced out to a 6-1 lead behind a pair of kills by Philliber, but the hosts proceeded to nine of the next 10 points to go ahead 10-7. The Bruins closed to within two points, 13-11, but never got closer than that. The Lutes took a 29-20 lead on a kill by Kyla Wytko before settling for a five-point win. The third game was tied 8-8 when a kill by Wytko put the Lutes ahead to stay. Matz, who led all players with 18 kills and a .424 hitting percentage, had nine of her finishes during the third game. Joynt, a freshman outside hitter from Wasilla, Alaska, had arguably the best game of young collegiate career with 16 kills and a .577 hitting percentage. McGinn, honored before the match as the Lutes’ lone senior, added 10 kills for the winners, who hit .291 for the match despite the Bruins finishing with eight team blocks. Philliber was the only George Fox player in double figures in kills, finishing the match with 13. The Bruins finished with a .117 attack percentage. - PLU -
|
