NEWBERG, Ore. — The George Fox women's volleyball team started off a busy weekend of competition with a loss against Puget Sound despite holding their own in three close sets, 3-0.
How It Happened
While the Loggers were able to draw first blood, the Bruins were quick to retaliate with attacks of their own.
Addison Goff started off things on the offensive end for Fox with a kill before
Gracie Bearden followed with a hit of her own; Goff finished things off with an ace and it didn't take long before the game was tied, 4-4.
It was then that the back-and-forth began between the two teams. For GFU,
Eden Cha proved to be an offensive threat Puget Sound couldn't stop. Cha put together two back-to-back kills before recording an ace to give Fox an advantage. The Lady Bruins only continued to bring aggression, even on the defensive side of the net.
Jordan Hahn and
Makena Phillips came together for a powerful block to make the game a close 9-8.
Puget Sound was able to go on a series of small runs to begin to create distance in the score, but George Fox still kept bringing attacks from all over the net. Goff, Bearden, Cha, and
Audrey Schmitt continued to lead Fox with their offensive power and to bring them closer and closer to the Loggers, 24-18. While the Bruins were able to go on a four-point run thanks to kills from Schmitt, Bearden, and Cha — as well as a Cha ace — a final finishing kill from Puget Sound concluded the first set, 25-22.
Much like the set before, each team didn't waste time and it didn't take long until a battle began on the court. Hahn was the first to claim a kill in the second set, but was followed shortly later by Goff and Bearden with kills of their own, 7-6. Despite the Bruins' constant offensive aggression, the Loggers remained unfazed; in the minutes that followed, Puget Sound went on a 9-2 run that was only broken up by shots from Hahn and Goff to make the score 15-9.
A kill from Bearden was all the Bruins needed to reignite their offensive fire. Phillips followed not far behind along with Cha. Coming together to form a wall not long after was Hahn and Goff for a powerful block; both players recorded a kill while
Isabella Avila claimed an ace. Although George Fox was able to keep their offense going, Puget Sound was able to remain steady with their own attacks, leading them to take the second set, 25-20.
The third set only continued the back-and-forth trend; for the next 18 plays, each team alternated points, neither team gaining two points in a row. GFU secured multiple kills thanks to their offensive leaders including Cha, Bearden, Phillips, and Goff, as well as
Madelyn Gunn's first kill of the night, 9-9.
While Puget Sound began to create some distance in the score, they weren't able to get that far — Phillips and Goff put up two strong kills to silence the PS rally. Defensively, Bearden and Schmitt put up a solid block while Schmitt followed with a hit of her own to leave GFU in striking distance of the Loggers, 19-16. Despite two more kills — this time from Cha and Phillips — three consecutive Puget Sound points was all they needed to take the set with a score of 25-21, and the game, 3-0.
Top Performances
Fox had quite a few solid performances when it came to offense. For kills,
Addison Goff led both teams with nine, and
Eden Cha and
Gracie Bearden followed not far behind with eight and seven, respectively.
Jordan Hahn recorded two block assists while Cha had 12 digs.
Kendall Stidham was GFU's main setter for the night with 17 assists.
What It Means
Puget Sound rises to 10-7 (7-2 NWC) while Fox falls to 4-13 (2-8 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins have a quick turnaround and will stay on their home court at Wheeler Sports Center for their next competition on Saturday, October 17. The game against Pacific Lutheran is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.
