PORTLAND, Ore. - For the second time in their last three matches, the George Fox University Bruins pulled off a five-set down-to-the-last-point on-the-road thriller, this time nipping the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers 3-2 (30-21, 24-30, 21-30, 30-21, 18-16) in a Northwest Conference volleyball tilt Saturday night here at the Pamplin Sports Center.

Game one was tight through the first third of the game, with eight ties before the Bruins broke a 10-10 deadlock and took the lead for good on a Whitney Kolb kill. Leading just 24-20, the Bruins reeled off six of the next seven points to capture the opener.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 7-1 lead in game two and never trailed, building up an 11-point lead of 23-12 on a Bruin attack error. The visitors out-scored the home team 12-7 the rest of the way, but it was too little, too late.

Lewis & Clark led throughout game three as well, extending their lead to as much as 11 again on a Nicki Smith kill to make it 26-15 late in the contest. Another Smith kill closed out the game to give the Pios a 2-1 lead in games.

Game four was also close, with 11 ties, until the Bruins exploded from a 19-19 tie to win 11 of the next 13 points. Five of the Bruins' points came on Pio attack errors, two were blocks, and four were from kills by Amy Batchelder, Jessica Morrison, Elizabeth Anderson, and Natalie Pickett, the last a game-winner.

George Fox scored the first three points of the deciding game and raced out to a 10-3 lead before Lewis & Clark rallied, out-scoring the Bruins 9-2 to forge a 12-12 tie. A service ace by Jessamy Holland and a kill by Sara Kettler put the Pios one point away from the win, but an Anderson kill and a Pio hitting error made it 14-14. Each team took the lead once thereafter, only to see the other bounce back, but a kill by Anderson and a block by Pickett nailed down the nail-biter for the Bruins.

Anderson had 16 kills, Morrison 15, and Jennifer Panico 12 to lead the Bruins, while Batchelder had 43 assists. On defense, Panico made 23 digs, Carli Bowman 16, Batchelder 14, Jenna Dohren 13, and Megan Cornelius 11. The Bruins also had 15 blocks, with Pickett in on seven and Anderson on five.

Kettler paced the Pios with 16 kills, Katherine Fiedler had 15, and Smith added 12. Lara Smith handed out 44 assists and Andrea Chase had 16. Holland had a match-high 29 digs, Molly Donahue added 15, Lara Smith and Leah Collins 13 each, and Chase 10. Fiedler had five of the Pios' nine solo blocks.

George Fox (7-4, NWC 2-2), which beat Whitworth University in a similar five-set barnburner last Saturday in Spokane, Wash., visits Pacific University Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., while Lewis & Clark (5-9, NWC 1-3) goes to Linfield College Friday at 7:00 p.m.