NEWBERG, Ore. – Opening the home portion of their 2012 volleyball season against a veteran, talented team of Tigers, the George Fox University Bruins dropped a 3-0 decision (25-15, 25-23, 25-18) to Occidental College, ranked 23rd in the American Volleyball Coaches Association pre-season poll, Saturday afternoon here at the Wheeler Sports Center's Miller Gym.

The Tigers' experience, shown by a roster of nine juniors and seniors in comparison to four for the Bruins, was demonstrated in their consistency, as they hit.200 or better in each of the three sets (.244, .200, .281) for a final .241 mark.  The Bruins, meanwhile, topped .200 only once and struggled offensively otherwise, hitting .028, .206 in the only close set, and .033 for a composite percentage of .090.

In the opening set, the Bruins led only once at 1-0, but stayed close until midway through the set.  Down only 10-8, the Bruins were out-scored 15-7 the rest of the way.  The score was 19-15 after an Oxy service error, but the Tigers reeled off the final six points on kills by Aly Fritz and Dana Michels, two Bruin attack errors, and two set errors on the last two points.

The second set featured seven ties and was the closest of the match.  The Bruins broke a 6-6 tie on a kill by Kylee Adderson and eventually built a four-point lead at 19-15 on another Adderson winner.  The Tigers scored the next three points and finally tied it 20-20 on a winner by Alyssa Mort, then took the lead with a pair of kills by Kasey Rose.  A kill by Betsy Wilhelm and an Oxy attack error enabled the Bruins to tie it 22-22, but a winner by Jessie Altman and a Rose service ace put the visitors back in front.  After Tiffany Burk brought the Bruins within one with a winner at the net, Mort spiked the clincher for the Tigers.

The final set saw seven early ties through the first 20 points before the visitors seized control.  A Bruin service error, a kill by Michels, and two George Fox hitting miscues gave the Tigers control, and they continued to build the lead after a kill by Erin Campbell with five more unanswered points, including a kill and two aces by Mort.  A winner by Altman made is 19-11, and the Bruins got no closer than five the rest of the match.

Burk and Adderson led the Bruins with six kills apiece, Adderson hitting a solid .417, and Lucy Capron added five.  Chelseas Brustad passed out 11 assists, and Capron made 14 digs. 

Rose led all hitters with 12 kills and Mort added eight, hitting .412.  Altman had five kills in only eight attempts, a .625 percentage, and doled out 27 assists.  Madyson Cassidy had 14 digs, and Mort contributed three service aces. 

NEXT: George Fox (1-1) plays next weekend in the Posada Royale Invitational Tournament in Thousand Oaks, Calif., starting  with Chapman University at 12:30 p.m. and host California Lutheran University at 3:00 p.m. on Friday ... Occidental (1-0) was to meet Pacific University later Saturday at 5:00 p.m., then continue its Pacific Northwest trip on Sunday against Willamette University at 1:00 p.m. and Linfield College at 5:00 p.m., both at Linfield.