Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MINNEAPOLIS -- The George Fox women's volleyball team finished off their early season stretch of tournaments at day two of the Auggie Classic, losing 2-3 against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, before later winning 3-0 against Wartburg.

How It Happened -- Game One
The Bruins started the first set steady with kills by Addison Robertson, Taylor DeKoning and Gracie Bearden. They kept the Blugolds at seven points for a stretch, gaining a massive 15-7 advantage. However, a run from Eau Claire had the game close — The two teams going black and forth between points before a Robertson kill gave Fox a 19-18 lead. Then, Robertson and Breanna Babcock ended the set with kills, winning a close one, 27-25.

The second set started almost opposite to the previous one; the Bruins struggled to get more than three points in the early stages, and Unfortunately, teh Bruins did not do their best, losing at a brutal 16-25.

In the third set, George Fox took a different approach to the game as the two teams exchanged turns to gain points for the majority of the set. Tied 12-12, Robertson started a chain-reaction, and the Bruins began to slowly make their way ahead. Addison Hawes contributed three services aces in a row and Fox shot to the top, leaving the Blugolds in the dust—25-17.

Making it to a fourth set, the Bruins had a moderate beginning but eventually made their way to the lead with kills from Robertson and Dekoning, as well as an ace from Kennedy Kibby to give Fox a 13-11 lead. They stayed around the same score as UWEC, but then fell away after a run from Eau Claire. For the third straight game, the Bruins were headed to a fifth set after a 17-25 loss in the fourth. 

Finally, the Bruins came in hot in the fifth and final set with a kill from Bearden. They kept an even score with the other team, even began to pull ahead with a kill by Dekoning and an ace from Kibby, taking a commanding 13-8 lead. However, the Blugolds battled back, rattling off six straight points, Robertson and Babcock added on two kills to take a 16-15 lead, but UWEC won three straight to take the fifth in dramatic fashion, 16-18.

How It Happened -- Game Two
The Bruins and Knights stayed deadlocked in the opening moments, with the game tied at 4-4. From there, though, the Knights took brief control of the game with an 11-8 lead. It was neck-and-neck for a while; Babcock smashed multiple kills to keep the Bruins from falling behind and gave them an 18-16 lead. The Knights began to lose steam towards the end of the set when Jenna Knibbs locked in a kill; Mia Cha finished the game at 20-25 with two service aces.

The Bruins began strong in the second set with four consecutive points in a row, Bearden tallying the first kill and causing a flustered timeout from the Knights. Wartburg battled back quickly with five straight points of their own — and from there, it was another neck-and-neck match. Though the Knights took a 20-15 lead, a furious Bruin rally put Fox back in front; a kill from Gracie Bearden gave her squad a 25-24 lead.

No lead was safe in the second set, however, and the Knights battled back to take a 26-25 advantage of their own. In total, the two teams failed to capitalize on seven match points in the frame. Down 31-30, Fox finally rallied off three points in a row, with a kill from DeKoning and an ace from Mia Cha giving them the lead, and an attack error giving Fox the nail-biting 33-31 win.

In the third set, Kibby scored the first point with a clean service ace before the Knights jumped out to a lead of four, 9-5. Lexi Baer helped the Bruins fight back with a kill, and from there the Bruins began to take a steady lead, point by point. Bearden tallied the last kill, giving Fox a clean sweep with a 25-19 win.

Top Performers
In game one, Gracie Bearden had a career game with 13 kills overall, while Addison Robertson finished with 10 kills. Taylor DeKoning, who missed the first four games of the season, returned in style with nine kills.. Kennedy Kibby completed the match with 31 assists, while Piper Hilgaertner had 26 digs.

In the second game, Gracie Bearden and Braenna Babcock were the top hitters, with 12 and eight kills overall. Kibby had 17 assists and Addison Hawes had 14, while Hilgaertner finished with 12 digs.

Coach's Thoughts
"The loss to Eau Claire hurt, but we are learning and improving each match," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "Our serve receive passers did such a nice job all weekend and today didn't disappoint. They were dialed in the whole time. It was a fun way to end with a win on a three-set match instead of five. It's safe to say we are ready for conference play after two great weekends of volleyball."

What It Means
George Fox is at 3-5 for the overall season, while the Blugolds are at 3-3, and the Knights at 4-2.

What Happens Next
The Bruins will come back to Newberg to play against the rivals Linfield Wildcats in a non-conference matchup on Friday, September 13th at 6:00 p.m.