NEWBERG, Ore. -- The seats were filled in the Wheeler Sports Center to watch the George Fox women's volleyball team in a sweeping three set win against the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, 3-0. 

How It Happened
The Pios were the first to score and gain a substantial lead; despite an early kill from Lexi Baer, Lewis & Clark took an 8-3 lead. Shortly after, things started to heat up on the Bruins' side of the court; what started with a kill from setter Mikaila Kronholm turned into a rally with two kills from Addison Goff and a Chloe Wiersma ace to reduce the score Pio lead to just one. Lewis & Clark made crucial errors as they began to feel the pressure, and — along with a big block from Allaire Gilder and Hannah Huffman — George Fox was able to take the lead, 11-10.

The set turned into a battle as both teams took turns scoring. For the Lady Bruins, Gracie Bearden, Baer, and Huffman all made an impact on the court with kills. George Fox really started to pull away as they went on a four point run; Gilder earned a kill to tie which was followed by kills from Hahn and Goff to give them the lead, 19-16. While the Pios attempted to rally back, the Bruins didn't back down from the challenge and took the final four points — with two kills from Bearden and an ace from Isabella Avila giving the Bruins the set, 25-20. 

In a change of pace, the beginning of the second set brought a Lady Bruin 7-3 lead. Their control of the set was the result of two aces — one by Bearden and another by Wiersma — as well as numerous kills from Hahn, Baer, and Goff. Lewis & C;ark was quick to show their fire again as they went on a six point run to snatch the lead away from George Fox, 11-9. The back-and-forth between the two teams began again after a GFU timeout. Kills from Hahn, Goff, Bearden, and Gilder kept the Bruins in the competition. The Lady Bruins had had enough of the battle and took matters into their own hands — especially Wiermsa, who recorded an incredible three aces. Thanks in part to the aces, the Bruins fell into a rhythm that resulted in a dominant 10-point run to end the set with a score of 25-18. 

The third and final set began with two Pios points that were quickly answered by Bruin kills from Kronholm and Bearden (and a Bearden ace) to take the lead, 3-2. Their points were followed by a powerful block put up by Gilder and Baer to make Lewis & Clark go quiet. Another block was put up, this time by Hahn and Goff, while Wiersma added two more aces to put Fox in front, 8-5.  While the Pios had points sprinkled in, George Fox kept their strong presence on the court. The Lady Bruins went on a five-point run thanks to kills from Huffman and Baer as well as a Kronholm ace to make the total 16-10; not long after, Bearden kept their good energy going with a kill followed by an ace. GFU went on yet another streak — Baer had two kills and Gilder had an ace — to make the score a 10-point difference, 22-12. The final points of the game belonged to George Fox as they won the set with a score of 25-14, and the game, 3-0. 

Top Performances
The leader for George Fox in kills was Addison Goff with eight, followed by Gracie Bearden and Lexi Baer with seven and six, respectively. Mikaila Kronholm was the Bruins lead setter with 16 assists; as for aces, Chloe Wiersma had an incredible night and recorded eight aces — the most since Kennedy Kibby in 2023 and just two shy of the program record. On the defensive side of things, Isabella Avila had nine digs and Bearden followed with seven. 

Coach's Thoughts
"We played with a lot of energy tonight and really executed some of our game plan which I was proud of," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said," Overall, I'm grateful for the win."

What It Means
George Fox rises to 6-12 (3-9 NWC), while Lewis & Clark is now 0-18 (0-11 NWC) for the season. 

What Happens Next
After a Saturday off, the next game for the Bruins will be away at Whitworth on Friday, October 31. The contest is set to begin at 7:00 pm.