KNEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team played their hearts out against the top team in the NWC in the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, forcing a fifth set but dropping the match, 2-3.

How It Happened
A five-point run featuring two kills by Jordan Hahn and one by Addison Robertson helped the Bruins start out the first set out powerful, taking a 6-1 lead. From there, Pacific Lutheran tried to catch up, but they were always a step behind as the Bruins kept them in their place. The Lutes were ahead for a split second, only for Gracie Bearden tied the score at 18-18 with a service ace before Lexi Baer took the lead with a kill. Baer finished off the set with another solid kill, winning the first set, 21-25.

The Bruins did not start off the set as strong as the first one, but still had their moment in the spotlight when kills from Beardon and Taylor DeKoning started a four-point run to give Fox an 11-10 lead. The two teams traded points over the course of the set, with Fox again using kills from Bearden and Baer to rally from a 18-21 deficit to a 23-22 lead — but three straight points from the Lutes slammed the door on the set, Fox losing, 23-25.

After losing the close set, the Bruins struggled to keep their control in the third, falling down early.. Down 8-3,  a spark from Jenna Knibbs off of the bench kept the score reasonable early on, but the Bruins had a hard time keeping up. Knibbs was the last scoring player of the set for the Bruins as PLU scored the final eight points to win, 25-12.

The fourth set was a little more steady for the Bruins—still not in the lead, but not too far behind. An early kill from Robertson gave Fox hope, though they trailed 4-6. The woman gradually made their way back, and two service aces in a row by Addison Coulter kept Fox only two points behind at 13-11. Fox fell behind in the middle of the set by seven, 12-19 but an amazing six-point run put them right back in the thick of things. Three straight service aces from Allaire Gilder had the Bruins on the brink of an improbably set victory. The end of the set was a nail-biter, with the teams volleying points back and forth until the Bruins put an end to the drama with a smashing kill by Gilder—26-28, Bruins.

The final set again was back-and-forth, with each team looking to take advantage. Bearden kept the score close with a kill at 5-4, and more kills by Roberston and Gilder kept the score close. A service error by the Lutes gave Fox an 12-11 lead as the Bruins looked to give PLU their first conference loss in two years. The Bruins would only score one more point in the contest, though, on a kill from Gracie Bearden, with a kill from Kailee Efros-Bohn giving the Lutes th 15-13 win.

Top Performers
Addison Roberston, Lexi Baer, and Gracie Bearden all finished the match with 12 kills each. Piper Hilgaertner had 27 digs, while Bearden had 19 digs for a double-double. Allaire Gilder had three kills and five service aces.

Coach's Thoughts
"I am really proud of the things our team did tonight," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "We played really tough in the fifth set and had an awesome comeback in the fourth set. I am grateful we are improving every match."

What It Means
The Bruins fall to 7-8 overall (3-3 NWC) while the Lutes improve to 11-4 (6-0 NWC), winning their 22nd consecutive NWC game.      

What Happens Next
The Bruins will continue to play at their home court for another home match on Friday, October 11th, against Lewis & Clark (10-4, 5-0 NWC) at 7:00 p.m.