#BeatAPU week is right around the corner. The Point Loma athletic teams will kick off its annual fall rivalry week on Wednesday, Sept. 30 when the Sea Lions host Azusa Pacific in volleyball starting at 7 p.m. On Thursday, PLNU will face APU in a historic soccer doubleheader. The Point Loma Athletic Department will be bringing in lights for this match as the Sea Lions will play their first-ever home soccer match under the lights.
The Sea Lions will be looking to pack the house and set new attendance records at each event, so put on some green and gold and come down to PLNU and support your Sea Lions.
Volleyball climbs into national rankings
The Point Loma volleyball team moved as high as No. 22 in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association poll, and has recent settled in at No. 24. The No. 22 ranking was the highest in the history of the program and the three weeks the Sea Lions have remained in the polls is also the longest run for PLNU at the NCAA Division II level.
Senior outside hitter Heather Leavitt, the MVP of the Seaside Invitational, leads the PacWest conference with 4.67 kills per set. Senior setter Savannah Wedemeyer is second in the league with 11.06 assists per set. Bree Vieth ranks fourth in aces (0.45) and Wedemeyer is seventh (0.39). Christin Fisher is fourth with 4.39 digs. As a team, PLNU leads the PacWest with 14.33 assists and 15.23 kills per set. The Sea Lions also rank second in digs (19.4).
Bartello earns PacWest Freshman of the Week
Point Loma freshmen Brianna Bartello’s performance at the Sundodger Invitational turned heads, and not just those on the runners she was passing during the race, but also in the PacWest as she was named the conference’s Cross Country Freshman of the Week for the week of Sept. 14-20.
Bartello finished ninth overall at the Sundodger Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington, with a time of 21:45.64. This was the second consecutive top 10 finish for the freshmen from Laguna Hills (Laguna Hills High School) and the first time she has competed in a 6k during her collegiate career. She was one of three Sea Lions in the top-15, leading them to a fifth-place team finish.