VB: GEORGE FOX 3, LINFIELD 0 - Bruins Blank Wildcats for Third Straight NWC Sweep

Box Score

McMINNVILLE, Ore. - Led by a trio of frontline players who combined for a .455 hitting percentage, the visiting George Fox University Bruins posted their third straight three-set sweep of a Northwest Conference foe with a 3-0 win (25-17, 28-26, 25-17) over the Linfield College Wildcats in women's volleyball action Friday night here at Ted Wilson Gym.

Lyndsay Hovee hit .500 (10 kills and no errors in 20 attacks), Eliza Pledger .429 (seven kills and one error in 14 attacks), and Sarah Crossfield .400 (five kills and one error in 10 attacks) as the Bruins stretched their winning streak to five in a row, improving to 10-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference.  The Wildcats fell to 6-7 overall and 3-3 in the league.  

The Bruins led wire-to-wire but did not pull away until the middle of the first set.  An Emily Vuylsteke kill drew the Wildcats within one at 13-12, but the Bruins responded with a 6-2 run, capped by a Pledger kill, to grab hold of the game and roll to victory.

In set two, the Bruins stunned the home team by coming back from a 21-13 deficit to win.  Kaitlyn Maddams played huge down the stretch for the Bruins, slamming home two service aces during a three-point swing that cut the Linfield lead to 24-23. After an exchange of points that left the score tied at 26-26, two Linfield attack errors gave George Fox the win.

The Bruins wasted no time taking over in set three, opening with consecutive kills by Crossfield, Hovee, and Pledger and building a 7-0 lead behind the serving of Jennifer Panico, who also contributed an ace to the rally.  The Wildcats got no closer than six points the rest of the way. 

Stephanie Kerr came off the bench to add eight kills to the George Fox offense as the Bruins hit .233 as a team to .047 for the Wildcats.  Ali Toedtemeier passed out 18 assists and Lani Rasmussen 14.  On defense, Hovee and Carley Johnson had 10 digs each, while the Bruins also collected 10 blocks, six by Pledger (three solo) and four block assists by Maddams.

Vuylsteke led the Wildcats with nine kills and Rae Smith added eight.  Emily Carpenter made 18 assists and Stephanie Purser 10.  Samantha Lee paced the defense with 18 digs.

Both teams play again Saturday, George Fox visiting Pacific University and Linfield going to the 19th-ranked University of Puget Sound.  Each game starts at 7:00 p.m.