NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team secured a 3-1 win against the Willamette Bearcats on Saturday, keeping them in the front lines for a Northwest Conference Tournament bid thanks to monster performances from Gracie Bearden and Addison Robertson. 

How It Happened
The Bruins started out ahead in the first set with a three-point run, and kept the lead with two straight kills by Taylor Dekoning. However, they faltered for a stretch, giving up five straight points to fall behind, 6-7. Once Gracie Bearden hammered a kill to tie the game at 10-10, the Bruins crushed Willamette with a ten-point run, leaving the Bearcats no chance of winning the set. Bearden finished off the set with yet another kill before the Bruins won, 25-13, on an attack error.

Bearden was the first to total a kill for Fox in the second set, while the Bearcats struggled to stay in line. The Bruins had a five-point run to take a 7-4 lead, with the last three kills by Addison Robertson — a sentence that would become a commonality. Like in the first set, Fox dragged behind for a moment, but kept their heads in the game with a kill by Jordan Hahn and two by Lexi Baer at 13-12. A six point run took place, catapulting Fox ahead at 21-17. They ended off the set with three kills in a row by Robertson and the last one by Allaire Gilder—25-20.

In the third set, the Bruins and the Bearcats handled points back and forth evenly the opening stretch, trading runs to tie the set at 18.. Unfortunately, Fox couldn't complete the sweep: Though the Bruins got within one point at 21-22, three straight from Willamette handed Fox the loss, 25-21.

The Bruins dominated the very last set, making sure they would finish the night off strong. Though she only played in one set, Breanna Babcock quickly made her presence felt, tallying two kills in the first ten points to secure a 10-3 score. Robertson and Bearden made their moves steadily throughout the game, recording a combined nine kills in the set, keeping Willamette steadily behind. Bearden ended the game with a powerful kill at 25-19.

Top Performances
Addison Robertson had a total of 20 kills for the night — the most by a Bruin since Kassandra Mendenhall's 23 in September of 2023 — while Gracie Bearden had her second straight double-double with 16 kills and 15 digs. Lexi Baer had six kills overall, while  Jordan Hahn had four. Piper Hilgaertner ended the game with 17 digs, Addison Coulter had 22 assists, and Kennedy Kibby had 21 assists. Coulter and Allaire Gilder each ended with three service aces.

Coach's Thoughts
"There were definitely moments for improvement tonight," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "and Willamette is a team that always plays well the second half of the season, so to come away with a win tonight is huge. I appreciate having a team that is so unified. It felt like more than just volleyball tonight and I am grateful."

What It Means
The Bruins stay over .500, sitting now at 12-9 (8-4 NWC), and the Bearcats are at 6-14 (5-7 NWC). WIth their third straight victory, Fox sits in fourth place in the NWC standings — good for the final spot in the conference tournament — three games ahead of Pacific.

What Happens Next
The Bruins will travel to Washington on Friday, November 1st, to face one of the top teams in the conference in Pacific Lutheran (15-6, 10-2 NWC). The game starts at 7:00 pm.