TACOMA, Wash. -- The George Fox women's volleyball team fell to Pacific Lutheran in three quick sets, 3-0.
How It Happened
The Lady Bruins came out aggressive in the first set, racking up five points thanks to a kill from
Addison Goff and
Gracie Bearden; Bearden showed off on the defense as well, forming a wall with
Audrey Schmitt to go up 5-0 on a team receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. From then on out, the back-and-forth started between the two teams. For Fox, Bearden and Schmitt continued to be intimidating forces at the net. Each recorded a strong kill before putting up another block, 8-5.
It was only a little later that a smashing kill from
Eden Cha tied up the game, 9-9. While George Fox was able to secure a few more points — especially after a
Jordan Hahn kill — they couldn't stop the Lutes from going on a series of high-scoring runs. With a final PLU blow, they took the first set, 25-12.
Much like the set before, GFU came out swinging; Makena Philips and Bearden each dealt a kill while Cha claimed a service ace, 4-4. While Pacific Lutheran was battling back, George Fox wasn't going to go down without a fight. Freshman
Madelyn Gunn put up some points after three powerful kills; Hahn joined with a hit of her own to tie the game, 10-10.
Despite the Bruins' relentless offense, the Lutes remained resilient and went on a five-point rally to create a gap in the score, 15-10. However, George Fox didn't falter and continued to put up points to stay in reaching distance. Cha put up three kills before Bearden followed with two of her own; Schmitt recorded a dominant solo block while Gunn contributed an ace. Pacific Lutheran managed to stay ahead even through GFU's attacks, winning the second set with a score of 25-20.
This time around, the third set kicked off with a service ace from
Chloe Wiersma before Gunn quickly followed with a solid kill. While the Lutes were able to tie the game back up, the Lady Bruins kept creating opportunities at the net; a Schmitt kill and a Bearden ace combined with PLU errors won GFU back their lead, 7-3.
Once again, a battle at the net began. Philips, Cha, Bearden, and Schmitt each contributed powerful kills to keep the Lady Bruins alive on the offensive end; defensively, Gunn and Hahn put up a solid block to shut down PLU, 17-14. While George Fox held a good gap in the score for some time, Pacific Lutheran unfortunately went on an eight point rally, before taking the third set with three more consecutive points, 25-18.
Top Performances
Gracie Bearden paved the way for GFU through both her offense and her defense; the senior ended the night with seven kills, two blocks, and 11 digs. Following her in kills was
Eden Cha with five while
Madelyn Gunn and
Audrey Schmitt each had four apiece. Schmitt also recorded two blocks alongside Bearden, while
Isabella Avila had 10 digs. As the main setter for the night,
Chloe Wiersma had 13 assists before
Kendall Stidham followed with 10 of her own.
Coach's Thoughts
"I was really proud of our passing tonight, that's the best passing match I've had as a coach against PLU," Bruin head coach
Emily Davis said, "We had a lot of things within our control that we gave away, so I'm hopeful that we will be able to keep improving and utilizing the talent we have."
What It Means
PLU rises to 8-2 (1-0 NWC) while GFU falls to 2-7 (0-2 NWC).
What Happens Next
The Lady Bruins will stay in Tacoma, Wash. for their next competition against Puget Sound on Saturday, September 19. The game against the Loggers (4-5, 1-0 NWC) is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm.
