VB: GEORGE FOX 3, CORBAN 1 - Bruins Pack Away Warriors Behind Panico and Pledger

Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. - Outside hitter Jennifer Panico and middle blocker Eliza Pledger combined for 23 kills and a robust .487 hitting percentage, leading the George Fox University Bruins to a 3-1 win (25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21) over the never-say-die Corban College Warriors in a non-conference women's volleyball match Tuesday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

Panico led the George Fox attack with 13 kills and only four errors in 23 attacks for a .391 mark and Pledger had 10 kills and no errors in 16 attempts for a .625 percentage as the Bruins improved to 7-3 overall while completing their out-of-conference slate at 7-1.  Corban dipped to 3-10 on the season.

The opening set was a tight one throughout, with eight ties and neither team holding more than a four-point lead.  The Bruins broke a 19-19 tie for good on back-to-back kills by Panico and Pledger and closed out the set on a Corban setting error.

With Panico serving six winning points, including a pair of aces, and Pledger capping the rally with two kills, the Bruins jumped ahead 8-2 in the second set but could not maintain the momentum.  Consecutive kills by Chandra Baskoro and Teri Braun and a block by Braun and Karisa Calderon ended an 8-2 Warrior run that tied the set at 10-10.  The Bruins briefly regained the lead on an attack error by Corban, but the Warriors reeled off four straight points, including two aces by Baskoro, to take a 14-11 lead which they never relinquished.  A kill by Tiffany Land ended the set and evened the match at 1-1.

In set three, the Bruins again took an early lead of 5-1 on two kills by Lyndsay Hovee and one each from Panico and Pledger, and stayed in front the rest of the way.  The Warriors climbed back within a point at 8-7 on a kill by Calderon, but the Bruins began to pull away thereafter and built as much as a seven-point lead of 20-13 on a Stephanie Kerr winner.  Betsy Wilhelm put the finishing touch on the set with another spike as the Bruins hit .300 with 16 kills in the stanza.

The Bruins scored the first eight points of the fourth set, half of them on kills by Panico with assists from Ali Toedtemeier.  Once again, the Warriors battled back within a single point, helped by five Bruin passing and attacking errors, at 12-11 after another service ace by Baskoro.  The Bruins regained control by taking the next four points, however, and maintained a lead between three and five points the rest of the way.  A Corban service error ended the match.

In addition to the big nights by Panico and Pledger, Hovee added 10 kills and led the George Fox defense with 23 digs.  Panico and Jenna Dohren added 13 digs each and Toedtemeier had 12.  Toedtemeier finished with 29 assists and Lani Rasmussen added 13.  Pledger contributed to four of the Bruins' five blocks in the match, and Panico served four aces.

Land led the Warriors with 13 kills, Baskoro added 10, and Braun killed nine with a .350 hitting mark.  Calderon passed out 28 assists, while Baskoro served four aces.  Rebecca Franke made 27 digs and Baskoro 11.  The Warriors also had five blocks, with Morgan Hirzel and McKenzie Purnell in on three each.

George Fox returns to Northwest Conference play this weekend, hosting Whitman College Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Whitworth University Saturday at 5:00 p.m.  Corban hosts Oregon Institute of Technology Friday and Southern Oregon University Saturday in Cascade Collegiate Conference games, both at 7:00 p.m.