NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team opened up their Northwest Conference slate against the Willamette Bearcats, losing in a 1-3 set.

How It Happened
The first set began slowly for the Bruins, as most of their first points were errors — whether ball handling, service, or attack — from Willamette. Fox  started to gain control when Gracie Bearden sandwiched a kill, an ace, and another kill to secure a 6-5 lead. The game was back-and-forth, but Fox stood their ground as Jordan Hahn made a kill, with setter Mikaila Kronholm adding a rare kill of her own, 9-8. The Bearcats took control of the ball again, but Hahn tied the score 14-14. The Bruins lost their momentum Willamette embarked on a 7-2 run to win the set, 25-18.

The Bearcats kept their strength as Fox had a rough start to the second set. Lexi Baer came in with heat as she made two consecutive kills, but the Bruins fell behind. Two aces from Kronholm helped Fox catch up, but they eventually lost steam again as Willamette made their way to the top in a 25-17 set.

Fox changed things up as Goff and Baer scored two big kills right off the bat.Bearden then dissected the Bearcats from behind the line, scoring three straight service aces to help Fox get out to a massive 12-2 lead. Though the Bearcats tried to weasel their way back in the set, a Hahn kill made the score 17-10. Fox ended their winning set with a strong kill by Baer, defeating the Bearcats 25-12.

The Bruins started the fourth set of the match strong again with a quick 4-1 lead, but Willamette soon made their way ahead. A Bearden kill tied the game at nine, with the game staying neck-and-neck. Jenna Knibbs hit a clean kill on the Bearcats to cut the score to 18-16, but a 7-2 run from the Bearcats gave the The final set score was 1-3, the Bruins taking away an overall loss for the night.

Top Performances
Lexi Baer, Addison Goff, and Gracie Bearden all had seven kills each for the night while Jordan Hahn scored five. Mikaila Kronhol led the team with 18 assists, while Bearden (13) and Isabella Avila (10) each had double-digit digs.

Coach's Thoughts
"Willamette played better volleyball than we did tonight," Emily Davis said, "We need to work on some things and tonight we did not play to the best of our abilities. I am grateful we still have a lot of season left to improve."

What It Means
The Bruins sit at 3-4 overall (0-1 NWC) while the Bearcats rise to 3-5 (0-1 NWC). 

What Comes Next
Fox will visit Tacoma, Wash. to play against the Puget Sound Loggers on Friday, September 19. The match is scheduled for 7:00 pm.