TACOMA, Wash. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team dropped its first set against Whitworth. Then, the team locked in.

Fox stormed back to win three straight sets and grant themselves a spot in the inaugural championship game, taking a four-set thriller over the Pirates, 3-1.          

How It Happened
Though the Bruins struck first in the first set, the Pirates came back quickly to take a lead, one that they would maintain. throughout the set.  Though the Bruins made a late surge, tying the game at 18 after an Addison Robertson kill, but five straight from the Pirates gave them a first set victory, 25-20. 

This time around in the second set, it was the Pirates who struck first — but the Bruins immediately took back the momentum, rattling off four unanswered before taking a nine point lead into the late stages of the set.  The Pirates attempted a comeback of their own, getting within five points but the Bruins held them off, evening the match at one apiece thanks to a Taylor DeKoning kill.

The Bruins came out of the gates hot once again, shooting out to a commanding 13-6 lead to keep the momentum rolling. Whitworth once again attempted to crawl back into the game, working their way to a two point deficit in the middle stages of the set; an ace from Kaitlyn Johnson and two kills from Kassandra Mendenhall quelled that comeback as the the Bruins collected their second set victory with a 25-19 victory to inch closer to a championship berth.  

The final set came down to the wire, with the Bruins tasting an NWC title. Both teams traded blows the entire set — a five-point Fox run here, a three points Whitworth run there — and after the Bruins took a 24-23 lead, the Pirates answered back to tie the score at 25.  The Bruins followed with a kill from Emily Blagg, once again bringing them one point away from victory.  

The following point will be sure to go down in Bruin lore — following the serve, Whitworth positioned themselves well, with the kill attempt from Whitworth fired at Piper Harrop. The ball glanced off of Harrop, deflected off of Blagg's arm, floated over the Whitworth defense, and landed just in bounds on the Pirates sideline, granting the Bruins a four set, 3-1 victory and berth in the championship game.          
           
Top Performers
Kassandra Staton led the Bruins offense with 19 kills, while Kennedy Kibby aided the effort with 39 assists. On defense, Kibby and Blagg each assisted in four blocks, while Kibby and Olivia Jacobsen each had a solo block.  Piper Harrop also chipped in with 25 digs.             

Coach's Thoughts
"Congrats on Whitworth to a great season," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "They are a very classy program with a history of success. I am so grateful that we have this conference tournament so that we can challenge ourselves to play our best under pressure at the end of the season. I couldn't be more proud of our team not just for how they played but most importantly for how they represent Christ in all they do."

What It Means
The Bruins move onto the first-ever NWC Championship game, which will be played on Saturday against host Pacific Lutheran (16-0 NWC). The Lutes, undefeated in conference play, bested fourth-seeded Willamette 25-17, 25-13, 25-23 to advance to the championship.

What Happens Next
The Bruins square off against the Lutes in the NWC Championship tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. in Tacoma. With a win, Fox will qualify for their first NCAA Tournament in program history; the Bruins last made a national tourney in 1998, when they qualified for the NAIA Tournament.