SPOKANE, Wash. -- The George Fox volleyball team fell to the highly-competitive Whitworth Pirates in a tough match, 3-0.
How It Happened
It didn't take long for the Bruins to show off their offense thanks to a
Chloe Wiersma ace before a smashing kill from
Audrey Schmitt. Despite GFU's immediate pressure, the Pirates were quick to prove why they are one of the top teams in the conference; the 'Bucs proceeded to go on a 14-2 run that was occasionally broken by Schmitt who continued to pave the way for Fox' s offense, 15-3.
From then on, it became a back-and-forth between the two teams. After a pair of Whitworth errors, George Fox made sure to capitalize on the opening to begin to rally back.
Eden Cha secured a kill before Wiersma recorded yet another ace; Schmitt and
Gracie Bearden followed with hits of their own, and Bearden kept her offensive aggression going with an ace. However, the Bruins made sure to fight back with their defense as well — especially
Hannah Huffman and Schmitt. The two put up a block to silence a Pirate attack and make the score 19-12. While
Jordan Hahn and Madelynn Gunn also put up some great kills to keep the offensive train going, Whitworth continued their relentless attacks and with four final consecutive points, the 'Bucs won the set 25-14.
This time around, Fox made sure to take the lead and maintain it.
Addison Goff dealt a powerful kill which she immediately followed with a service ace. Schmitt, Bearden, and Hahn all put together numerous hits to give the Lady Bruins a 7-4 lead. Although George Fox put up more resistance through their offense, the Pirates remained steady and came back to tie the game, 7-7. Once again, the game became a battle as each team fought for control for the lead; for GFU, Hahn and Bearden both recorded a kill before coming together for a block at the top of the net. Goff and Schmitt were quick to hop on the offensive train with kills of their own to make the score a close 13-11.
Despite GFU's presence and pressure on the court, it didn't seem to faze the Pirates; much like the previous set, Whitworth proceeded to go on a 12-3 to not only take the lead, but create a significant gap in the score, 23-16. While Fox continued to fight — including kills from Bearden and Cha, along with a Huffman and Schmitt block — the 'Bucs made sure to finish things off and took the second set, 25-18.
The Pirates made sure to continue their energy from the set before and quickly wracked up some points to give them an early advantage. However, the Bruins were not ready to go down without a fight. Offensively, Bearden recorded two strong kills for Fox and Schmitt and Gunn each contributed one as well; defensively, Schmitt turned around to build a wall with
Makena Phillips by her side, 5-5. A series of small Pirate runs led for the gap in the score to widen, but luckily for George Fox, hits from Cha, Gunn, and Bearden were there to keep GFU in the game, 20-10. It was only a short while later before Hahn recorded a kill of her own and
Kendall Stidham secured two aces, but it wasn't quite enough and the Pirates won the set 25-12 in three sets.
Top Performances
Audrey Schmitt led the team in kills and blocks with eight and three, respectively;
Gracie Bearden followed with seven kills of her own while also leading the team in digs alongside
Isabella Avila with 11 each.
Chloe Wiersma and
Kendall Stidham contributed two aces each, and
Hannah Huffman secured two blocks as well. Leading the team in assists was Wiersma with 14 as the team's main setter for the night.
What It Means
The Pirates rise to 11-2 (5-1 NWC) while the Lady Bruins fall to 2-11 (0-6 NWC).
What Happens Next
Fox will stay on the road for their next game against Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore. on Tuesday, October 6. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.
