SALEM, Ore. -- After a quick turnaround from the first day of the Oregon Trail Classic, the George Fox women's volleyball team ended day two with another split. Game one against Augsburg concluded with a Bruin five set thriller (3-2), while game two ended in a hard fought 3-1 loss against Nebraska Wesleyan.
How It Happened - GFU vs. Augsburg
Despite playing two games the day before, you never would have guessed it by the way the Lady Bruins came out in the first set. It didn't take long until they claimed the first points of the game thanks to kills from
Eden Cha and Makena Philips, 3-0. While Augsburg was able to get two back, they were quickly shut down by Fox who proceeded to go on a six point run.
Audrey Schmitt started things off with back-to-back kills before Cha followed with an ace;
Addison Goff concluded the streak with another powerful kill to make the gap in score 9-2.
From there on out, the back-and-forth began between the two teams. Goff started things off with a kill and a service ace;
Jordan Hahn and
Gracie Bearden followed not far behind with a solid block to make the score 15-5. As much as the Eagles tried to break through, they couldn't get past GFU's wall. After showing off her defense in the previous play, Hahn switched things up and recorded a kill on the offensive end as well. Philips, Cha, Schmitt, and Goff continued to be aggressive on the offensive end, slowly but surely racking up points for the Bruins. With a final ace from
Chloe Wiersma and an Augsburg error, George Fox took the first set 25-14.
While the Lady Bruins once again took first blood — thanks to a smashing kill from Philips — they were met with some pushback from the Eagles. Fox was able to hold their own for a while due to Schmitt and Bearden fighting at the net, but a small five point Augsburg run was all it took to put a gap in the score, 11-5. However, George Fox remained resilient — especially Philips. She recorded three kills for the Bruins before Hahn and Cha joined the rally with attacks of their own, 14-12. The Eagles remained unfazed despite GFU's resistance and proceeded to go on an eight point run to once again put distance in the score. While Schmitt and Wiersma tried to rally again — with a kill and an ace, respectively — the Eagles remained persistent and secured the second set 25-15 to tie the game, 1-1.
The battle picked up almost immediately after the start of the third set. It didn't take long before the score was 7-4 Bruins as a result of kills from Schmitt and Madelynn Gunn. From there, George Fox only continued to show off their dominant offense; hits from Hahn, Cha, Schmitt, and Gunn kept GFU alive in the face of Augsburg's relentless attacks. The team was able to keep their momentum going into a five point rally where Bearden and Hahn recorded a kill apiece while Wiersma contributed a clean ace. However, the Eagles were all too quick to rally back; after their own seven point run, they tied the game 19-19.
With each team only a few points away from winning the set, tensions were high in the sports center. The back-and-forth picked up once again, but neither team could pull away. For the Lady Bruins, Cha, Philips, and Bearden were all putting in work at the net to keep Fox in the game. Eventually, Augsburg took a 26-25 lead and just as they got their hopes up, George Fox was there to shut them down. Schmitt and Bearden put up a wall to secure a point for GFU and turn the tides of the set. With the pressure now on the Eagles, they began to make errors which was all Fox needed to win the set in extended play after three consecutive points, 28-26.
GFU made sure to use their momentum into the next set where they started things off with three points thanks to an ace from Cha. From there, each team went on runs to stay in the game. For George Fox, Bearden recorded her first ace of the day while Goff and Schmitt delivered dominating kills to end their four point run. However, after a six point streak from the Eagles, the game shifted into their favor, 9-7. While the Lady Bruins worked to regain the lead — especially with kills from Bearden, Cha, and Schmitt — they couldn't catch up, resulting in a Augsburg 25-20 win as well as a 2-2 set tie.
Even though they lost the previous set, George Fox wasn't going to go down without a fight. In the fifth and final set, they came out swinging; Cha started things off with a smashing kill before Bearden hopped on the train with a hit of her own. Cha only continued her offensive streak with not one, but two consecutive service aces to end the Lady Bruins strong seven point run. Schmitt and Goff were quick to join the rally; after getting one kill apiece, the two came together at the top of the net for a solid block to secure an 11-3 lead. Bearden was able to sneak in one more slam, before — once again — the pressure became too much for the Eagles. With a final, finishing kill from Cha, the Lady Bruins win it all after a hard-fought fifth set, 15-10.
How It Happened - GFU vs. Nebraska Wesleyan
Using their momentum from their previous win, George Fox came out ready to compete — especially Cha. Out of the first six points, four of them were thanks to Cha's aces; the other two were kills from Bearden and Gunn to give Fox a 6-0 lead. Despite GFU's strong start, the Prairie Wolves were quick to go on their own six point run to tie it up. Battling seemed to be the Bruins theme of the day because it started up once again.
For the rest of the set, neither team could find an opportunity to pull away. Many players were responsible for holding down Fox's steady offense. Cha continued to be a reliable offensive power for George Fox along with Bearden, Philips, Gunn, and Schmitt.
Isabella Avila recorded two aces, setter
Kendall Stidham got her first kill of the day, and Schmitt along with Goff shut down a Nebraska Wesleyan rally with a powerful block. Soon enough, the game was set at another tie, 24-24. It wasn't until a crucial ace from Avila that Fox found an opportunity to break through, and they took it. With a hefty swing, Bearden delivered the final kill to take the first set for Fox, 27-25.
This time around, the second set began with a showcase of GFU's defensive strength. Cha and Schmitt put up a wall at the net for a massive block to set the tone. However, Schmitt was ready to put in work on the offensive end as well; her and Goff were able to record some kills to keep up with the Prairie Wolves and their continuous aggression. However, little runs and one six point rally from Nebraska Wesleyan made the distance in score start to grow. Cha, Bearden, and Goff found ways to sneak in some hits, while Hahn and Gunn secured a block, the Prairie Wolves offense persisted and they soon won the second set, 25-13.
The third set began with some NWU points, but it didn't take long until Schmitt and Goff silenced them with both offense and defense. Schmitt secured a kill before the two set up a wall that Nebraska Wesleyan couldn't get past. The two continued to work on offense, securing more points through hits — as well as an ace from Goff — to keep them in reaching distance of the Prairie Wolves, 6-5. Hahn, Cha, and Bearden soon followed with kills of their own to then tie the game 12-12. Before long, NWU managed to break through and go on a four point run, but George Fox was quick to retaliate. Schmitt and Goff got one kill each before Schmitt put up a big solo block to give the Lady Bruins the lead once more, 18-17.
Unfortunately, the lead was short lived as the back-and-forth began once again between the two teams. Continuing to keep GFU in the game was Goff once again with multiple kills along with an ace; fighting at the net alongside her was Hahn and Gunn. While George Fox managed to stick with the Prairie Wolves into extended play, a final kill and ace from NWU secured their win, 29-27.
Despite being down, Fox wasn't ready to give up just yet. After a NWU block, Schmitt and Bearden made sure to retaliate with one of their own; Goff was quick to follow with a well-placed ace. While Bearden was able to get another hit in, Nebraska Wesleyan made sure to shut down any of the Lady Bruins' offensive attempts. The score was soon 18-5 after a series of runs from the Prairie Wolves. Still, George Fox remained resilient; Hahn, Schmitt, Bearden,and Gunn each contributed a kill for GFU before NWU took the set (25-16), and the game 3-1.
Top Performances
In game one, freshman
Eden Cha had a day on the court, showcasing her skills on both the offensive and defensive side, recording multiple personal records. Cha led the Bruins in kills with 13, and had a total of 14 digs — only behind
Gracie Bearden and
Isabella Avila with 21 and 15, respectively.
Audrey Schmitt — another freshman — was just behind Cha with 12 kills of her own; Schmitt and Bearden each contributed two blocks.
Kendall Stidham was a solid presence on the court as the team's main setter for the first game, ending with 32 assists, while
Chloe Wiersma followed with 17 of her own.
This time around, game two featured
Addison Goff and her abilities on the court. She ended the game with 10 kills, 11 digs, and two blocks. Behind Goff in kills was Cha and Bearden with eight apiece; along with her kills, Cha also led the team in aces with four. Bearden also contributed 11 digs, while Schmitt had four blocks. The main setter for game two was Stidham once again, and she ended game two with 23 assists.
What It Means
George Fox is now 2-2, Augsburg is 1-2, and Nebraska Wesleyan is 2-1.
What Happens Next
Fox will head to Georgetown, Texas, for their next competition in the Southwestern Invitational. Their first games will be on Friday, September 11; the Bruins will go up against Texas Lutheran at 12:30pm PST, followed by a match-up against Southwestern at 5:00pm PST.
