Kelsie Moore recorded 12 kills and 11 digs to lead Pacific Lutheran past the visiting Lewis & Clark Pioneers, 25-22, 25-22, 25-10, in a Northwest Conference volleyball match played Saturday night in Olson Auditorium.
The Lutes, ranked No. 20 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Top 25 national poll, improved to 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference. Lewis & Clark is now 4-8 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
Moore, a 2010 first team all-conference selection, had the hot hand early for the Lutes, recording half of her match-high kills in the first set alone. She had a pair of kills as the Lutes built a quick 7-0 lead in the first set.
The hosts continued to add to their margin, leading 18-7 at one point, before the Pioneers battled back into the set. They went on an 11-2 run, capped by consecutive aces by Elena Hoff, to cut their deficit to 20-18. A Lewis & Clark attack error gave the momentum back to the Lutes, however, and a kill by Erin Bremond ended the first set.
The second set was close throughout as neither team led by more than one point until PLU took a 10-8 advantage on a kill by Chelsea Nelson. A service ace by Samantha North and a Missy DeWalt kill helped the Lutes build a 13-8 lead, but again the Pioneers were up to the task despite missing standout senior Margaret Dowling to injury.
They eventually tied the set at 14-14 on consecutive kills by Alicia Callejo-Black, and later went ahead 18-17 on a PLU attack error. PLU's Moore broke a 22-22 deadlock with a kill, and two attack errors by the Pioneers ended the set.
The third set was never close, the Lutes taking an early 9-3 lead and never leading by less than five points the rest of the way.
With Moore leading the way, the Lutes hit .225 as a team. North was outstanding once again with 33 assists and 12 digs, while junior libero Blair Bjorkman led both teams with 18 digs and four service aces. Bethany Huston had seven kills and six blocks for the Lutes.
For the Pioneers, Jennifer Dowdy and Kataleya Milan both had eight kills, and Leia Matsunaga added 29 assists. L&C hit .093 as a team.
The Lutes return to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when they host the nationally ranked Puget Sound Loggers in Olson Auditorium.
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