NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team were officially eliminated from NWC Tournament contention with a loss to the Whitworth Pirates, losing in a 1-3 battle.

How It Happened
Whitworth jumped ahead early, scoring the first four points of the game and taking a dominant 14-4 lead. Fox scored their fifth point with a strong kill by Gracie Bearden before Addison Goff had a kill, advancing the score 6-15.

Allaire Gilder had two kills with Lexi Baer jumping in the middle of that—but the Pirates continued to outpace the Bruins. Though setter Mikaila Kronholm had a sneaky kill near the end of the game, the set ended with a loss for Fox, 14-25. 

The second set began stronger for Fox, as Goff had a kill right off the bat before a Gilder kill tied the score at two. The Bruins took a 6-3 lead as Bearden scored a kill, and another from Goff kept Fox in front at 8-7. The Pirates gained control of the ball, though, pulling a long run—taking a 17-11 lead with a 10-3 run. The Bruins lost steam, eventually losing the set, 12-25.

Not putting their heads down, Fox started a comeback in the third set—Gilder scored a powerful kill to start the scoring for the Bruins. Whitworth took a brief lead, looking for the sweep, but Bear and Bearden didn't let the Pirates get too far ahead with kills to tie the score, 10-10. 

Gilder, Baer, Jordan Hahn, and Jenna Knibbs contributed to a 6-0 run, helping Fox jump ahead, 18-13— with Gabriela Yepez Suarez scoring her first career kill to help boost Fox towards the finish line; it was Bearden who ended the third set to give Fox the 25-20 third-set win.

Whitworth countered, though, starting strong in the final set. Bearden tied the score at 2-2 and the Bruins jumped ahead at 5-3 before the Pirates took the lead. From there, the two teams traded runs — Whitworth went on a 3-0 run before Fox countered with one of their own. An ace from Kronholm and a kill from Baer helped the Bruins take a 12-11 lead, but a back-breaking 6-1 run in the final stages of the set gave the Pirates the edge, winning the fourth and final set, 25-18.

Top Performances
Gracie Bearden scored ten kills overall with 12 digs, while Allaire Gilder had nine kills total. Bearden led the team with 12 digs, with Isabella Avila right behind her at 11. Chloe Wiersma and Mikaila Kronholm split setting duties, with Kronholm finishing with 15 assists and Wiersma 14. 

What It Means
George Fox falls to 6-13 (3-10 NWC), while Whitworth is now 17-6 (11-2 NWC) for the season. With the loss, the Bruins are now officially eliminated from postseason contention, missing the NWC Tournament for the first time since its return in 2023.

What Happens Next
The Bruins travel south from Spokane to Walla Walla, Wash. to play against the Whitman Blues (9-11, 8-5 NWC) on Saturday, November 1. The game is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm.