SALEM, Ore. - Although they were swept in their Northwest Conference women's volleyball season finale by the Willamette University Bearcats 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-18) Saturday night here at Cone Fieldhouse, the George Fox University Bruins' final overall record of 17-7 made 2009 their best year since going 20-6 in 2002.

The Bruins finished with a conference record of 10-6, tying for third place in the NWC standings with Lewis & Clark College.  Willamette ended its season at 11-13 overall and 8-8 in league play, locking up sole possession of fifth place. 

The Bearcats played a well-rounded game to knock off the Bruins.  Offensively, Willamette had 49 kills and only 18 errors, 10 of which were Bruin blocks, while hitting .282.  George Fox, on the other hand, had only 28 kills and 14 errors, hitting .135.  On defense, the Bearcats held a big advantage in digs, 57-37.

In the first set, the Bearcats broke a 4-4 tie with two kills by Molly Blankenship around one by Jessie McGraw for a 7-4 lead and never trailed again.  A 4-0 run featuring kills by Julie Stutzman and Annika Moffett bracketing a pair by McGraw boosted the home team to a 20-13 advantage, and the Bearcats closed the set with a service ace by Kathy Lee Glenn. 

Set two was a nailbiter throughout with 12 ties, five lead changes, and neither team taking more than a four-point lead. Back-to-back kills by Sarah Crossfield gave the Bruins a 15-11 lead, and they took another four-point edge at 16-12 on a kill by Kaitlyn Maddams before the Bearcats rallied.  Four straight points, the last a block by McGraw and Madisyn Leenstra, made it 16-16, and the Bearcats went ahead 20-17 on an ace by Brigit Miller.  Back came the Bruins with four in a row on a winner by Stephanie Kerr, a Maddams ace, a kill by Jennifer Panico, and a block by Kerr and Eliza Pledger for a 21-20 lead.  A McGraw kill tied it 21-21, and there were ties again at 22-22 and 23-23 before a combo block by Blankenship and Stutzman and a Bruin attack error gave Willamette a 2-0 lead in sets.

Willamette took a 3-0 lead in set three and stayed ahead, though George Fox stayed within hailing distance until late in the set.  After falling behind 12-6, the Bruins went on a 7-2 run featuring two tandem blocks by Pledger and Crossfield to get within a point at 14-13.  Two kills by Blankenship and an ace by Glenn at that point gave the Bearcats some breathing room, and they eventually closed the match on another Miller ace.

The Bruins had no one in double figures in kills, Kerr leading the way with seven and a .400 hitting percentage.  Ali Toedtemeier had 13 assists and Lani Rasmussen 12, and Maddams served five aces.  Panico made 13 digs, while Pledger had seven blocks (three solos, four assists) and Crossfield had five blocks (one solo, four assists).

Blankenship had 16 kills and McGraw 14 while hitting .360 to pace the 'Cats.  Miller passed out 41 assists.  McGraw came up with 15 digs, Blankenship and Moffett 12 each, and Glenn added 10.  Stutzman had four block assists while the team totaled seven blocks.

Five Bruin seniors played their final match in a George Fox uniform: Sarah Burkey, Lyndsay Hovee, Panico, Crossfield, and Rasmussen.  Panico ended her career sixth on the all-time Bruin list for digs (1,357), while Crossfield finished ninth in blocks (156).