Tacoma, Wash.– In two thrilling matches, Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound both won their semi-final matches and are moving on to the 2026 Northwest Conference Championship Final. The two teams will compete for the title on Saturday, November 14th at 6:00 p.m. PST in Tacoma, Washington.
In the first match of the tournament, the #3 seeded Pacific Lutheran Lutes overcame second-seeded Whitworth Pirates to claim their spot in the championship match with 3-0 sweep. During regular season play, the Lutes and the Pirates split their series, the Lutes falling 0-3 in their first matchup to later prevail 3-1 a week prior to the NWC tournament. The Lutes took the first set with a score of 25-22 and battled to win the second set 28-26. The Lutes took the third set with a dominant 25-17 set win.
Leading the offense for the Lutes was Shaela Allen-Greggs with 13 kills, 3 digs; while teammate Julissa Pernsteiner put up 9 kills and 3 digs. Ayre Takamoto put up an impressive 32 assists and 5 aces on the evening, setting her teammates up for success. Defensively, Macy Matsushima put up 24 digs, while teammate Alexis Eggert tallied 3 blocks to help stop the Pirates offense. The Pirates were led by Lindsay Short on offense, earning 11 kills and 5 digs on the evening. Teammates Alyssa Baird and Bryanna Dodson both tallied 9 kills a piece. Dodson also led the Pirate defense with 14 digs, followed by teammate Olivia Paul who put up 13 digs.
In the second semi-final match of the evening, the top-seeded Loggers battled the Blues to claim their spot in the NWC championship final, posting a 3-1 win. The Blues came out strong in the first set, outscoring the Loggers 25-20. The Loggers were quick to snap back, claiming the second set in a 25-20 win, and the third in a 25-18 win. In the fourth set, the Loggers secured the remaining spot of the NWC Championship match, posting a set win of 25-16.
Individually, the Loggers were led by 2026 All-Conference Player of the Year/Defensive Player of the Year Maddie Badger, who put up 15 kills and 4.5 blocks. Fellow Logger Nicolette Raduziner also tallied 15 kills and 13 digs on the evening, making an impact on both ends of the court. Dominating defensively, Samantha Keightley put up 28 digs to keep the Whitman Offense at bay. For Whitman, Rookie of the Year Rowyn Lee and teammate Sammy Holmer both put up 9 kills, while Lexie Uchima led the Blues defensively with 21 digs and 2 aces.
Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound will face off in the NWC Championship Match tomorrow evening, where the winner will be crowned the 2026 NWC Tournament Champion and receive an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament.