NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox volleyball team used a 17-2 run in the fourth set to close out the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, winning the NWC matchup 3-1. 

How It Happened
The Pios started the first set with a 4-1 run, putting Fox in an early hole. GFU battled back and tied the game at eight after a service ace from Kennedy Kibby. Shortly after, the Bruins went on a five-point tear that took the score to 14-9, after which the Pios wouldn't get within five points of the Bruins lead. Fox finished the set with 11 kills in total, including six from Addison Robertson and four each from Breanna Babcock and Gracie Bearden. A Pioneers' attack error ended the set, with GFU on top, 25-18, to win the first frame. 
 
In the second set, GFU pounced on the Pios to start, blitzing to a 5-0 lead in a run that featured two aces for Kennedy Kibby. The Bruins expanded their lead to six, 8-2 before the Pioneers slowly started cutting the lead to three, 12-9. A series of errors allowed the Pioneers to tie the set at 18, which capped off a 9-5 stretch in favor of Lewis & Clark – which featured just one kill for the Pios, but three for the Bruins. Back-to-back kills from Bearden regained the lead for the Bruins, however, the Pioneers weren't out of it yet, scoring three in a row to take a 21-20 lead. With the set on the line, Bearden came up clutch again, with another kill and an ace right after to take back the lead and force a Pios' timeout. Lexi Baer picked up a kill after the break, and two points later Addison Robertson closed the door with a kill of her own, winning the set, 25-22. 

The third set featured a chance for the Bruins to sweep, and both teams played like it; the game was tied 6-6 early on, both teams trading points back and forth. Lewis & Clark ripped a 6-1 run that gave them a 12-7 lead. The Pios lead grew to as much as nine points, which would be the lead it would carry to the set victory, winning 25-16 and taking the game into a fourth set, with Fox still up, 2-1. 

The Bruins were on a mission in the fourth frame. With a chance to end the game, in the fourth, they opened on a massive run, scorching the Pioneers to an absurd 18-3 lead that featured 10 straight points, three kills for Bearden, two aces for Addison Coulter, and an ace for Mia Cha as well. The 15-point pad gave the Bruins plenty of breathing room, as they rolled to a 25-7 set win, their most dominant set win of the season and largest since an 18-point win against Lewis & Clark in 2023. Fox posted an unreal .750 hit percentage – compared to -.158 for the Pios – hitting seven kills and five aces as Fox won the game, three sets to one. 

Top Performances
Gracie Bearden had 10 kills and was one of three Bruins with three aces (the others being Mia Cha and Kennedy Kibby). Addison Coulter had 16 assists, and Breanna Babcock led the team with 2.5 blocks. 

Coach's Thoughts
"I wish we would have played more consistently tonight, but I am glad our communication was consistent since we've been emphasizing it," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "Lewis & Clark has talented players and I'm glad we were able to get the win."

What It Means
With the win the Bruins climb back to .500 on the season, and improve to 4-3 in NWC play. The Pioneers are now 0-14 (0-7 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The Bruins travel to McMinnville, Ore. to play the Linfield Wildcats (4-10, 1-6 NWC) on the roads on October 12 at 6 pm.