SALEM, Ore. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team played five sets against the Willamette Bearcats, losing in a tough five-set match.
How It Happened
Fox took an early 3-0 lead, facilitated by kills from
Audrey Schmitt and
Gracie Bearden. Willamette battled back, taking eight of the next 10 points to put them up 8-5. Schmitt broke the opposition's five-run streak with a kill of her own, but Willamette kept pulling ahead, firing off another quick five-point run to make the score 13-6.
Then, the Bruins found a bit of momentum, scoring three straight points, partly thanks to two kills by
Addison Goff. The team saw another three-point run, bringing the game to a close 14-12 in favor of Willamette. Goff notched two more kills shortly after, and then two consecutive service aces, tying the game at 16-16. Willamette launched a three-point run, but Fox finally clutched a 22-19 lead due to a six-point run featuring kills from Schmitt and
Eden Cha. Willamette earned one more point before Fox went on another run, clinching the first set 25-20.
In the second set,
Hannah Huffman got the first kill for Fox. Willamette won five of the following six rallies, moving to a 6-3 lead. GFU earned a 7-6 advantage by scoring the next four points, aided by Cha's two aces and a shared block by
Jordan Hahn and Huffman. Willamette stole the lead again after taking five points, mixed with a kill by Schmitt to set the score at 14-10. Cha led another three-point run for Fox, but Willamette also gained three points. The two teams exchanged points, with Willamette leading 22-17. Fox couldn't regain control, and Willamette took the second set 25-17.
The Bearcats showed dominance in the beginning of the third set, grabbing a 9-4 lead. The Bruins brought the score to 9-7 with a three-point run, assisted by kills from Bearden and Goff as well as a service ace by
Isabella Avila. Willamette continued to climb, however, rising to 18-9. The score changed to 18-12 when Fox fired off three points, including a Schmitt kill and Bearden ace. Though
Madelyn Gunn, Schmitt and Goff each got a kill, the Bruins fell to Willamette 25-15.
Cha earned the first kill of the fourth set, leading to a 3-0 score. Soon after, Fox went on a five-point run, which was responded to with three consecutive points for Willamette. GFU continued to build their lead, seeing seven straight points—including a solo block by Schmitt—and a 16-5 score. The teams traded points back-and-forth, with Willamette trailing 20-11. The Bruins and Bearcats both put up three point runs, and Fox earned two more points to win the set 25-15.
Willamette had the advantage in the beginning of the set. Goff earned the first kill for Fox, succeeded by an ace by
Chloe Wiersma to tie the score 3-3. The Bearcats followed by collecting three uninterrupted points, but the Bruins kept the scores at a tight 8-6. Despite scoring three more points, the Bruins lost to Willamette in the final set, 15-9.
Top Performances
Audrey Schmitt led the team with 12 kills, followed by
Addison Goff with 10 and
Eden Cha with five. Goff and Cha had two service aces each;
Chloe Wiersma,
Isabella Avila, and
Gracie Bearden all saw an ace, too.
Audrey Schmitt collected a solo block, and
Jordan Hahn and
Hannah Huffman both had a block assist. Wiersma had the most assists at 17 and
Kendall Stidham had 14, while Cha had a career-high 23 digs.
What It Means
GFU falls to 4-12 (2-7 NWC) while Willamette picks up their third win in a row, moving to 8-8 (5-4 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Bruins will play Puget Sound at home in Newberg, Ore., on Friday, October 16. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.
