NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team recovered from an early deficit in their Northwest Conference home opener against Lewis & Clark, storming back to defeat the Pioneers, 3-1.

How It Happened
The Pioneers jumped on Fox out of the gate, scoring the first seven points of the set before the Bruins could even blink. Once Fox settled down, though, the Bruins inched within 8-7. Despite nearly taking the lead, the remainder of the first set belonged to the Pios as they opened up a 20-13 lead. Unable to come back again, the Bruins dropped the set 19-25.

The second set, though, is where momentum began to change. Kills by Addison Robertson and Taylor DeKoning gave the Bruins a 6-4 lead. Lewis & Clark committed eight attack errors in the set, and Fox took advantage. The Bruins took a 16-8 lead and never looked back, scoring eight of the last nine to win 25-14.

The third set was more of the same, as the Bruins dominated from the first serve. Four straight kills from the likes of Bailey LeBreton, Addison Robertson, and Kassandra Staton gave Fox an 11-3 lead. The points kept piling on for the Bruins, as they convincingly took the third set, 25-10.

After two convincing sets for the Bruins, Lewis & Clark made sure that Fox had to work in the fourth set. The Pios had the Bruins on the heels, scoring three straight points to take their first lead since the early second set, 16-15, before Fox battled back. Two straight kills from Caitlin Nemecek gave the Bruins the lead back, and an ace from Julissa Rocha-Ibarra ensured that Fox would keep the momentum. A kill by Grace Hovan finished things off, with the Bruins taking the final set 25-21.

Top Performers
Staton produced a team-best 11 kills for the night, with DeKoning close behind with nine.DeKoning also led the team with a career-high  21 digs to keep the Bruins in the hunt all day. Kennedy Kibby commanded the Bruins, dishing out 33 assists and recording three service aces

Coach's Thoughts
"We had a slow start," coach Emily Davis said afterward. "Getting a conference win is always something to celebrate and I am very proud of our team for working through some ups and downs and coming out on top.

What It Means
Fox has won consecutive games for the first time all year, and improves to 4-4 overall on the season, with a 1-0 NWC mark. The Bruins have won three of their last four after starting 1-3.

What Comes Next
The Bruins will continue NWC play with a Friday, September 16 trip to Forest Grove to take on Pacific (Ore.). The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.