TACOMA, Washington – The Puget Sound volleyball team opened the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational with wins over Texas Lutheran and Occidental Friday.

Puget Sound 3, Texas Lutheran 2 (19-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 24-22)

Despite dropping the first two sets, the Loggers (4-2) rallied to win the final three sets, including a dramatic 24-22 win in set five, against Texas Lutheran (3-3).

Puget Sound opened the fifth set with a 4-1 lead, but the Bulldogs battled back to even the score at 6-6. Kills by Samantha Johnson and Isabella Bean, along with a Texas Lutheran error, allowed Puget Sound reclaim a lead, 9-6.

The teams remained neck-and-neck through the rest of the set. A service ace by Chloe Akiona-Bannan put the Loggers on the brink of victory, 15-14. However, the Bulldogs answered back with consecutive kills.

Finally, another ace by Akiona-Bannan helped the Loggers clinch the victory down the stretch. She finished the game with six aces and 28 digs.

Sarah Blumenfeld totaled 28 assists, while Aliah Ayau added 24. Johnson had a team-high 15 kills, and Jordan Holman finished with 15.

Puget Sound 3, Occidental 1 (25-18, 19-25, 25-18, 25-21)

The Loggers hit a season-high .237 during its 3-1 win over Occidental.

Akiona-Bannan added five more service aces to her day, while Katherine Carley led the Loggers with 10 kills.

Melanie Siacotos and Jordan Holman both totaled nine kills.

The Loggers conclude the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational with a couple of tough opponents Saturday, Sept. 7. The Loggers take on No. 5 Claremont-M-S (3:45 p.m.) and Cal Lutheran (6 p.m.).