By Hayden Mortensen
Reporter
The Whitworth Pirates drew first blood on Friday Sep. 20th not only with the initial match point, but with the first conference victory over the Lutes. The Lutes fought hard with an astounding 21 kills and 8 blocks from Danielle Skibiel, 9 blocks from Savanna Service, and 46 assists from Emily Dulaney. Unfortunately this was to no avail. Pirates won the match 3-2.
The Lutes did some housekeeping the next night and brought out the broom for a swift sweep against the Whitman Blues.
“[The players] served really well and received really well,” said Assistant Coach Rusty Carlson.
Indeed they did with 7 aces and 36 digs. Included in that action was Emily Dulaney and Hope Baldyga serving a pair of aces each and freshman libero Halle Hetzler executing 11 digs.
Personnel adjustments are being made as one of the star players, Lauren Wilson, went down with a knee injury the week before this conference opener.
Upon interviewing, Wilson reported that she has not gotten a confirmation of the injury specifics yet, but it is pretty serious. Head Coach Kevin Aoki suspects Wilson to be out for the season.
Aoki expressed lots of admiration towards Wilson’s skill and leadership qualities.
“Having her out really hurts” he said. Nevertheless, he is hopeful she will bounce back for next season.
The 24th ranked Lutes have a lot of new faces on the court as they are starting 4 freshmen.
“They have handled the level of play well and handled the environment well so far,” said Carlson.
Rest assured they were excited for their first home opener.
They and the rest of the Lutes have a tall order to fill with the national ranking as well as with a final-season wish from Danielle Skibiel to have the team “play with our whole hearts and leave it all out on the court.”
