NEWBERG, Ore. – Utilizing a 50-30 advantage in kills and a 12-7 margin in service aces, the George Fox University Bruins notched their first home victory of the season with a 3-1 win over the Willamette University Bearcats in a Northwest Conference women's volleyball match Friday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

It was a match of contrasts, with close first and fourth sets bookending two blowouts as the Bruins prevailed 25-22, 25-8, 14-25, 25-22.  George Fox improved to 7-8 overall, snapping a three-game losing streak, and 2-4 in the conference, while the Bearcats slid to 5-9 overall with their second straight setback and 2-3 in league play.

The first set featured 11 ties and no lead larger than three points by either team.  Down 16-17, the Bruins reeled off five unanswered points to take the lead for good, with Betsy Wilhelm starting and capping the rally with kills.  The Bearcats three times climbed back within a point at 21-20, 22-21, and 23-22 before the Bruins secured the win on an Erin Campbell spike and a Willamette attack error. 

George Fox served six aces and hit a blistering .440 (12 kills and one error in 25 attempts) in breezing to the second-set victory.  The Bruins had one run of five straight points and two runs of six in a row.  Four Bruins - Campbell, Wilhelm, Kylee Adderson, and Tiffany Burk - hit .500 or better in the set, while Campbell and Adderson had two aces apiece.

It was the Bearcats' turn to coast in the third set.  After the Bruins took a 6-5 lead on back-to-back winners by Adderson and Cassie Irwin, the visitors ripped off seven straight points to take control at 12-6, two aces by Kathy Lee Glenn catalyzing the outburst.  The Bruins responded with three in a row on an Irwin winner and two Bearcat attack errors to make it 12-9, but could not put together more than a point at a time the rest of the set as Willamette pulled away.

The final set was another nailbiter, with nine ties and again no more than a three-point lead at any time.  Willamette took an early 3-0 lead, only to have George Fox come back to build 19-16 and 20-17 leads on an ace by Chelsea Wilson and a kill by Irwin.  Shannon Waltz had a kill and two blocks combined with Elisa Ahern to rally the Bearcats to a 21-20 advantage, but a Willamette attack error, an ace by Adderson, and kills by Wilhelm and Irwin gave momentum back to the home team.  Following a block by Waltz and Taylor Ottomano, the match ended on a final Bearcat hitting miscue.

Wilhelm led all hitters with 12 kills, Stephanie Kerr added 10, and Irwin finished with nine.  Mackenzie Teigen handed out 24 assists and Wilson 20.  On defense, Patti Reeves made 17 digs and Campbell 10, while Adderson made four blocks (one solo, three assists).

Madisyn Leenstra with six kills and Ottomano with five were the top Bearcat attackers.  Emily Compton contributed 28 assists.  Glenn led the defense with 17 digs and Ahern added 14, while Carly Hargrave was in on six blocks (one solo, five assists) and Waltz had four block assists.

NEXT: George Fox is off until next Friday when the Bruins will take on the 17th-ranked University of Puget Sound Loggers in Tacoma, Wash., at 7:00 p.m. ... Willamette returns to action Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. match at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore.