SALEM, Ore. – A three-game road swing ended on a down note for George Fox University as the Bruins, after winning the opening set, dropped three in a row to the Willamette University Bearcats, who took a 3-1 Northwest Conference women's volleyball victory (25-27, 25-21, 25-23, 25-13) Saturday night here at the Cone Field House.

There were eight ties in the first half of the opening set before Willamette broke a 12-12 deadlock with a 6-1 outburst, taking an 18-13 lead before the Bruins rallied.  A kill by Erin Campbell started the Bruins on a 6-0 run that included two kills by Tiffany Burk and a service ace by Campbell for a 19-18 lead, and there was never more than a two-point difference the rest of the way.  George Fox fell behind 25-24 after a Bearcat block by Shannon Waltz and Lindsey Compton, but the Bruins reeled off three straight points on kills by Campbell and Burk and a Willamette set-ending attack error.

Down 17-10 midway through the second set, the Bruins ripped off eight unanswered points with Kelsea Meyers serving for an 18-17 lead.  After a kill by the Bearcats' Alida Holt tied it, a Willamette attack error and an ace by Campbell put the Bruins up 20-18, but the home team ran off a 7-1 string to close the set and even the match at a set apiece.  Carly Hargrave keyed the Bearcats' final assault with a pair of kills.

The third set proved to be another thriller, with 11 ties and eight lead changes.  The Bearcats broke the final 18-18 tie with a winner by Sarah Fincher, but the Bruins stayed close, five times pulling within one point, the last at 24-23 following a Willamette attack error.  Alexa Dowdell closed out the set with a kill, however, giving the 'Cats a 2-1 lead in the match

Willamette opened the fourth set with an ace by Emily Compton and a kill by Fincher and never trailed.  The Bearcats gradually extended their lead to four points at 5-1, six points at 8-2, and seven points at 14-7.  The lead hit eight at 19-11 on a kill by Dowdell, and a final 5-0 run ended the set with the Bruins down by 12 as well as settling the match.

Burk led the Bruins with 12 kills and a .296 hitting percentage, while Erin Sprowls added 11 kills, Karlee Jo Sampson 10, and Campbell nine.  Payton Shrum handed out 37 assists.  Defensively, Chelsea Wilson had a match-high 21 digs, while Kylee Adderson was in on seven of the Bruins' 11 blocks, six of them on block assists.

Fincher hit 16 kills with a .412 attack percentage, with Lindsey Compton adding 10 and Dowdell nine.  Emily Compton passed out 38 assists and had 12 digs, while Dowdell made 10 digs.  Waltz had five block assists in the Bearcats' total of nine blocks.

NEXT: George Fox (8-8, NWC 3-5) hosts Pacific University Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in a rare mid-week conference game … Willamette (6-11, NWC 2-6) hosts Whitworth University in NWC action Friday at 7:00 p.m.