NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox volleyball team fell behind by two sets against the Whitworth Pirates early, before mounting a comeback to push the match to five sets. The Bruins would lose the fifth, however, and drop the game, 3-2. 

How It Happened
The Pirates came in as one of the best-hitting teams in the conference, but in the first set, the Bruins were right there with them, hitting 12 kills compared to the Pirates 13. The two squads were deadlocked for the first nine points, with neither team holding a lead larger than two scores up to 9-9. Whitworth then went on a 7-3 run that put them up, 16-12, before Fox responded with a run of their own, bringing the game to 16-15, with Pirates on top. Whitworth climbed back to a four-point lead, before pushing the game to game point at 24-21. Gracie Bearden had a pair of kills to bring the Bruins within a point, but the Pirates responded with the final point after, putting the Bruins behind, 1-0, going into the second set. 

The second set was the largest margin of victory for the entire match, with the Pirates sporting a .378 hit percentage on their way to a 25-18 set win. The second frame started similarly to the first, with GFU and Whitworth tied 11 before Fox went on a mini-surge to take a 13-11 lead. Whitworth climbed back to tie the game at 15 before they went on a back-breaking 7-1 run that put them up 21-16. They closed it out shortly after that, sending GFU into an elimination set in the third. 

Like the previous sets, Fox and the Pirates played close for the opening points, with Fox behind 11-9 early. An Addison Robertson kill and error from the Pirates tied the game at 11, but Whitworth responded and took a 15-12 lead not long after. Fox hung around, taking advantage of more Pirates' errors before an Addison Coulter service ace tied the game at 17 each. Neither team could take the lead, as there were ties at every point till the climax at 24 each. An attack error from the Pirates gave Fox a 25-24 lead, and Bearden slammed the set home to extend the game to a fourth set with a 26-24 win. 

GFU jumped to a quick 3-0 lead – the largest lead under 10 points until that point – to start the fourth before expanding to a 6-2 lead. The Pirates clawed back, tying the game at 8-8 after a 6-2 run. GFU replied with a run of their own, with Kennedy Kibby capping off a 4-1 run with a kill that gave the Bruins a 12-9 lead. The Pirates would tie the game at 16, and the game stayed tight down the entire back stretch. Clutch kills in the final points powered the Bruins – getting a huge hit from Lexi Baer, and two from Robertson – as they closed the door on Whitworth, 25-23, in front of a lively Wheeler Sports Center crowd. Fox had mounted an improbable comeback from 2-0 against the highest-ranked team in the conference and now had a fifth set to pull off the comeback. 

The Pirates came out swinging in the fifth set, jumping to a 7-2 lead early. Fox slowly climbed back into the game and was down only a point, 14-13 in the shortened set. However,  Whitworth's attack was too much and took the set, 15-13, and the game 3-2. 

Top Performers
Addison Roberts led the team with 12 kills, and Jordan Hahn chipped in with 10. Addison Coulter had 21 assists and 2 aces. Piper Hilgaertner led the team with 21 digs, while Mia Cha totaled 11.

Coach's Thoughts
"Our team has been working hard at adjusting some things," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "and I was really proud of us for improving on those. I was also impressed with our stamina through a long match and the ability players had to step in during lineup changes. It was a fun night of volleyball."

What It Means
George Fox falls to 9-9 (5-4 NWC), and the Pirates are now 17-3 (9-0 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The Bruins will play the Whitman Blues on Saturday, October 18, at 6 p.m. in the Wheeler Sports Center.