FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The George Fox volleyball team won two games on their first day of the Oregon Trail Classic in a resounding fashion, defeating both Wells College and McMurry in straight sets.

Game One - Wells
In their first game of the day, Fox didn't allow more than 11 points in a set and was never behind by more than one in any of the three sets it took to sweep Wells off the court. In the first set, GFU scored their first ten points before Wells could score five — Fox as a team had 11 kills in the first set, with Kennedy Kibby picking up three to go along with five assists and a pair of aces. The Bruins would win the first set by a score of 25-11. The next two sets would look very similar, with Fox winning the second, 25-10, and then a smashing score of 25-8 in the final frame. 

In the game, the Bruins posted a hit percentage of .538, compared to Wells' negative hit percentage of -.026. Fox ended the game with 34 kills, 31 assists, and 20 service aces. Kibby had a stunning eight aces in the game, just two off of George Fox record set by Michelle Nelson in 1995. Taylor DeKoning had six kills, and Emily Blagg and Olivia Jacobsen had three blocks each. 

Game Two - McMurry
The Bruins kept a similar energy level in the second game against a spirited McMurry team. The Bruins wouldn't lose a set in the game, ending the day without dropping a single frame. 

The Bruins opened the first set in a back-forth series of points, with the score ending up at 5-5 early on. That style of play continued, with the score sitting at 17-17 heading into the final stretch. The Bruins came alive to finish, winning the set 25-18; GFU won the second set in a much more dominating fashion, easing to a 25-16 win and setting themselves for a second straight clean sweep. Fox jumped out to a 6-2 lead early, before sustaining a late run from the McMurry side. Fox righted the ship and in the end, won by a score of 25-18. 

GFU had a hit percentage of .259 for the game and racked up 43 kills and 40 assists. Kassandra Staton had nine kills in the game, and Kibby had an incredible 30 assists. 

Top Performances
Kennedy Kibby ended the day with a total of nine kills, 47 assists, and 10 aces. Taylor DeKoning had 13 kills, and Kassandra Staton chipped in with 11.

Coach's Thoughts
"I'm grateful we were able to take care of business," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "Proud of our team for supporting each other, and holding themself to a high standard after mistakes. Looking forward to playing at home against some good teams tomorrow."

What It Means
The Bruins improved to over .500 on the season before going into the second day of the tournament, the final round of games before conference play begins. With the two wins, Fox now sits at 3-2 on the season.

What Comes Next
The setting switches to Newberg as Fox plays two games at Wheeler Sports Center to finish the Oregon Trail Classic. The Bruins square off against Schreiner at 10 a.m. before playing Loras at 5:30 p.m.