LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team opened its season in style, sweeping Pfeiffer and Spalding outright with two 3-0 victories to kick off the Covenant Classic.

How It Happened -- GFU vs. Pfeiffer
If the Bruins were tired from an overnight flight and a noon local (9:00 am Pacific) start, you never would have guessed it; Fox's closest set against the Falcons may have come in the first, but the Bruins jumped out to an early lead even then. Two quick service aces got things rolling, and a kill from Lexi Baer helped her team jump out to a 6-2 lead.

The Falcons countered with a run of their own, embarking on a 6-2 split that brought the score to 12-13. The Bruins were unperturbed, though, taking advantage of three straight Pfeiffer attack errors to steal back the momentum, 18-12. A kill from Gracie Bearden and a final attack error from the Falcons gave Fox the set one win, 25-21.

Fox rode the momentum from the first set into the second, once utilizing three attack errors from the Falcons to take a 6-3 lead. This time, the Bruin run was even more massive, with Fox scoring a staggering nine straight points thanks in part to three straight kills from Addison Goff. A Baer kill put Pfeiffer out of their misery in a dominant 25-10 set two win.

The third set was more of the same, with Baer, Bearden, and Gilder smashing kills to give Fox another early lead. Once again, a five-point run had the Bruins flying away from the Falcons, with GFU winning the third set, 25-13, to pick up a masterful 3-0 victory.

How It Happened -- GFU vs. Spalding
Stop us if you've heard this before — George Fox women's volleyball jumped out to an early lead. The Bruins kept things going strong against the Eagles, with the usual suspects in Bearden, Goff, and Baer all recording kills to put Fox ahead by five. A five-point Eagle run midway through the game closed the gap to one, but Allaire Gilder and Gracie Bearden kept Fox ahead with kills to help extend the Fox lead back to six. A service ace from LeAna Cimarra was the final point for Fox in a 25-18 victory.

The second set was the closest of the game, with the Eagles keeping pace with Fox early on. Another Bruin run made a 6-6 game a 10-6 game, giving Fox a lead they would never relinquish. Though Spalding stayed close, hovering between one and four points out of the lead, key service aces from Mikaila Kronholm and Bearden, as well as a kill from Jordan Hahn, made sure the Bruins won set two, 25-21.

Fox had a chance to compile the perfect first day of the season with a set three win, and they made sure to step on the gas. The Bruins were content to trade two GFU points for every one Spalding point from the opening serve, slowly pulling away from the Eagles. Baer had her best statistical set of the day, helping Fox win the game with five kills in the set. When all was said and done, the Bruins had won their second game thanks to a 25-15 third-set win.

Top Performers
In game one, Lexi Baer and Addison Goff led the team with seven kills, while Mikaila Kronholm was the team's leading setter, finishing with 22 assists. Allaire Gilder totaled a career-high six blocks — three solo and three assisted — while Gracie Bearden and Isabella Avila each had double-digit digs, with 15 and 13, respectively.

Baer and Bearden were the top hitters in game two, with each totaling 11 kills, and Baer hitting .421 on 19 attempts. Kronholm again had 22 assists, while Bearden had four service aces and 10 digs to pick up the double-double. 

Coach's Thoughts
"It's always hard playing after traveling," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "I'm so proud of our team for not making excuses and playing with resilience today."

What It Means
Thanks to their first consecutive sweeps in two years, the Bruins are 2-0 on the young season.

What Happens Next
The Bruins will stay in Georgia for day two of the Covenant Classic, playing in a pair of early games on Saturday. Their first game of the day will be at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time against Southern Virginia, followed by a matchup against host Covenant at 9:30 a.m.