NEWBERG, Ore. – After losing a significant lead and dropping the third set in heartbreaking fashion, the George Fox Volleyball team responded by winning back-to-back sets to send the Whitworth Pirates packing.

How It Happened
The first set was a preview of the close, back-and-forth action that would follow. The largest lead of the set was the Bruins' four-point lead to end the set; before that, neither team led by more than three points. The Bruins had a hit percentage of .273, and the Pirates hit .229. Fox edged them in kills by just four – a natural explanation for the four-point win. Freshman Emily Blagg led the way with six first-set kills, followed closely by veteran Kassandra Staton with five. 

The second set went to the Pirates, who outhit Fox .318 to .122, and the Bruins limped into the third set after falling, 25-19. The third set looked like it was all Bruins, as they jumped out in front quickly, taking an 11-2 lead early. The Pirates slowly crept back into the picture throughout the frame, though, and they would eventually tie the Bruins at 24-24. Fox would fall two points later, falling behind 2-1 in the game. 

GFU responded in the fourth set, as they gradually pulled away from the Pirates throughout the set. The two teams were neck and neck early, but the Bruins went up by six points – 20-14 – and never looked back, as an ace from Piper Harrop followed by a Whitworth attack error sealed the set for Fox. 
The decisive fifth set was a Bruins show the whole way through, as they jumped to a quick 5-0 lead, forcing the Pirates to call timeout right away. The timeout did little to slow the Bruins, as they outscored Whitworth 10-5 the rest of the way, hitting a .313 in the frame as they steamrolled their way to a 15-5 set win, winning the game in five sets. 

Top Performances 
Kennedy Kibby and Kassandra Staton were a dynamic duo for Fox in the contest, with Kibby racking up 49 assists in the game, and Staton having a team-high 19 kills. Piper Harrop had a team-high, 36 digs. Emily Blagg had a hitting percentage of .323, the highest on the team for players with five or more kills.

Coach's Thoughts
"Very fun match tonight. It's always fun to play such great competition," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "Whitworth has some amazing hitters and we were doing our best to dig and get touched on as many balls as we could. We ended up having a very strong 5th set, and I'm proud of our team for playing with no fear. Looking forward to the next match up on the road!"

What It Means
Fox improves to 7-4 (3-1 NWC), and Whitworth falls to 6-6 (3-1 NWC).

What Comes Next
George Fox hosts Linfield on Friday the 29th, with the game scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Sports Center.