NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox University women's volleyball team bounced back in style against Lewis and Clark on Friday with a dominating 3-1 victory, clinching third place in the conference with the win.
How It Happened
The Bruins got off to a solid start, collecting a 25-18 victory in the first set to jump out to a 1-0 lead. The Bruins played well for the entirety of the set, punctuating their victory with a streak of five unanswered toward the end of the set to put Lewis and Clark out of the set and get the momentum rolling for the Bruins.
Looking to extend their lead, the Bruins got off to a hot start in the second set, beginning the set with five unanswered. However, the Pioneers bounced back, and after a battle the whole way, took the second set to even the match on the Bruins.
The Bruins proved their playoff metal in the third and fourth sets, holding the Pios to a combined 17 points over the course of the two sets, thoroughly routing the Pios to claim victory. The third set saw two runs of unanswered points, one of which saw the Bruins put up eight unanswered, while the other saw the Bruins score six unanswered to finish off the set. The fourth set was more of the same, as the Bruins continued to keep their momentum strong. This set was punctuated in the middle by a run of nine unanswered by the Bruins, and after the Bruins final serve dropped between the Pioneer defense without contact, the Bruins walked away with their most dominant victory yet.
Top Performers
Kassandra Mendenhall led the Bruins offense with 15 kills, while Kibby Kennedy kept the offense rolling with 36 assists. Mendenhall also led the defense with 15 digs, while
Taylor DeKoning and
Emily Blagg each recorded a block.
Coach's Thoughts
"We had some lows and some highs tonight," Bruin head coach
Emily Davis said, "Overall, I'm glad we responded well since that's been a focus of ours this year. Lewis and Clark had some great hitters but we were able to serve well and keep them off the net. Our offense did a really nice job of staying aggressive.
What It Means
The Bruins move to 14-6 overall and 10-3 in conference, and hope to improve that tomorrow against Linfield.
What Happens Next
The Bruins square off against the Wildcats tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. in McMinnville, Ore.
