Box Score

NEWBERG, Ore. - Hoping to play the spoiler against a team still in contention for the Northwest Conference title, the George Fox Bruins took a two-sets-to-none lead but could not put away the Lewis & Clark College Pioneers, who rallied for a 3-2 win (20-25, 17-25, 25-12, 25-23, 15-9) in women's volleyball Saturday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

In dominating the first two sets, the Bruins out-hit the Pios .253 to .065.  The two completely reversed roles in the final three sets, however, as Lewis & Clark hit .304 to only .097 for George Fox.  Both teams were on their game defensively, though, as could be expected from the top two blocking teams in the league - the Bruins, ranked 27th nationally, had 15 blocks in the match and the Pioneers, ranked 20th nationally, had 12.

Set one was tight throughout with seven ties, the last at 16-16, and neither team taking more than a three-point lead until then.  A Pioneer attack error broke the last tie, and the Bruins reeled off four more points on two kills by Stephanie Kerr, one by Sarah Crossfield, and a combo block by the same two for a 21-16 lead.  The Bruins closed out the set on a spike by Jessica Morrison.

In set two, the Bruins took the lead for good 6-5 on a kill by Lyndsay Hovee, but could not pull away until later in the set.  Leading by only three at 18-15, the Bruins took control with four unanswered points on kills by Hovee and Crossfield, a block by Kerr and Jennifer Panico, and a Pioneer attack error, and concluded the set with winners by Panico and Natalie Pickett.

Lewis & Clark never trailed in set three, scoring the first two points and quickly building up a 10-3 lead, capped by a Margaret Dowling service ace.  A 7-0 run featuring two kills by Sarah Hall, one each by Dowling and Kelsey Clark, and a pair of blocks enabled the Pios to take a 23-10 advantage, and a kill by Katherine Fiedler ended the set.

Set four was another nailbiter as there were five ties and neither team had more than a four-point lead at any time.  A Fielder kill, a Bruin attack error, and a block by Clark and Jessamy Holland enabled the Pios to take the lead for good at 21-19, and the teams traded single points thereafter until Dowling settled matters and evened the match with a set-clinching kill.

The Pios took immediate control of the deciding fifth set with a 5-0 run that put them up 6-1.  A kill by Pickett and a block by Morrison and Kerr brought the Bruins within three at 6-3, but that was as close as they would get.  Up 13-9, the Pios completed the comeback with back-to-back winners by Clark and Hall.

Kerr and Panico paced the Bruin attack, which hit .169 overall, with 14 kills apiece, Kerr hitting .323.  Lani Rasmussen and Ali Lefebvre had 24 and 20 assists respectively.  Panico and Jenna Dohren made 16 digs each and Hovee chipped in with 11.  Kerr was in on eight blocks and Pickett on seven.

Fiedler led all hitters with 15 kills for the Pioneers, who hit .195 as a time, while Dowling and Clark added 13 each, and Hall had 12 with a .400 hitting percentage.  Melody Kayser passed out 26 assists and Andrea Chase had 23.  Lou Ohki had a match-high 20 digs and Hall made 14.  Clark and Fielder contributed six blocks assists each and Holland had five.

George Fox (11-13, NWC 5-9) faces a challenge in trying to end their five-game losing streak with the University of Puget Sound coming to town next Friday for a 7:00 p.m. match, thought the 18th-ranked Loggers were upset at home Saturday 3-2 by Whitman College.  Lewis & Clark (15-10, NWC 10-4), which is two games behind league-leading Pacific Lutheran University, hosts Pacific University Friday, also at 7:00 p.m.