Lutes Lose Hanna to Knee Injury as Regional Approaches

VOLLEYBALL THIS WEEKEND: Northwest Conference champion Pacific Lutheran  winds down the regular season with two away matches against Oregon opponents Willamette and Lewis & Clark. PLU faces Willamette on Friday and Lewis & Clark on Saturday with both matches beginning at 7 p.m.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The first time that PLU played these teams, the host Lutes rolled to straight set victories, beating Willamette 25-22, 25-22, 25-17 on Oct. 10 and Lewis & Clark 25-17, 25-15, 25-18 on Oct. 9. Willamette currently maintains an overall record of 10-12 and posts a 7-7 record in the Northwest Conference. The Bearcats have won five out of their last six conference matches and have shown steady improvement from the beginning of the season. Willamette remains in the middle of the Northwest Conference standings. The last scheduled match for the Lutes will be against Lewis & Clark. The Pioneers are 13-10 overall and have a conference record of 9-5. Last weekend, Lewis & Clark lost to Willamette in a close five-set match. The Pioneers stand one game behind both Puget Sound and George Fox in conference standings.

LUTES RANKED NO. 15: For the third straight week, PLU is ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll. PLU has been ranked as high as No. 10 this season, that in the Sept. 8 poll.

ANOTHER CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: The Lutes finished a successful weekend at home after beating Northwest Conference foes Whitman and Whitworth, both in three straight sets. After defeating the Missionaries on Friday, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21, the No. 15-ranked Lutes were crowned the Northwest Conference champions. This marks the program's fifth Northwest Conference championship in the past six seasons. The Lutes improved their overall record to 18-6 with a win over the visiting Whitworth Pirates on Saturday. That evening also marked the last scheduled home match of the 2009 season and honored seniors Anella Olbertz, Lauren Poole, Brenna Archibald, Karen Henjum and Kelcy Joynt. The match ended in three close sets, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20, and helped the Lutes to a flawless 14-0 conference record. Beth Hanna had an impressive night for the Lutes, tallying 18 kills and 14 digs, before suffering a season-ending knee injury late in the third set.

CHAMPIONSHIP FORM: This year's conference championship is the Lutes' fifth in the last six years. PLU shared the 2006 title with Linfield and won outright championships in 2004, 2007 and 2008. Additionally, PLU won the 1999 conference title, giving head coach Kevin Aoki and his program sixth conference crowns in 14 years.

12 OUT OF 14: Out of PLU's 14 conference wins, 12 have come in straight sets. The unbeaten 2007 PLU team won 12 of its 16 matches in straight sets.

LUTES LOSE HANNA TO KNEE INJURY: The news was bad for Beth Hanna and her Pacific Lutheran volleyball teammates. Hanna suffered tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her left knee, putting her on the sideline for the remainder of the 2009 season. The injury occurred when Hanna, trying to avoid the net, came down awkwardly and landed on a Whitworth player's foot. The bad news came as the Lutes enter the final week of their regular season, and as they start preparations for a return trip to the NCAA Division III regional tournament scheduled for Nov. 12-14 at a site to be announced. Hanna's injury marks the third straight year that the Lutes have lost a key member of their starting rotation prior to the regional tournament. Senior middle blocker Kelcy Joynt suffered ACL tears each of the past two seasons. Hanna, a junior outside hitter, is the two-time defending NWC Player of the Year, earned national Freshman of the Year and first team All-America honors in 2007 and was a third team All-American in 2008. "We are going to have to regroup," PLU head coach Kevin Aoki said. "This group is highly capable."

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