By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- For the second consecutive night, the Willamette University Bearcats and the George Fox University Bruins played a five-set volleyball match in Northwest Conference action on Friday, March 19. After falling to GFU in five sets on Thursday, the Bearcats responded with a 3-2 win of their won. WU was victorious in the rematch, 25-22, 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-8. The Bearcats never trailed during the fifth set.

In addition, for the second consecutive night, Natalie Klotz (Jr., OH, Bonner Springs, KS/Bonner Springs HS) of Willamette set a career-high for kills. In Thursday's match, she registered 21 kills to break her previous personal-best of 20 kills earned against Whitman College on Oct. 5, 2019. On Friday, Klotz all players in the match with 27 kills. She also set a new career-high in total attacks for the second consecutive night, with 66 on Friday after recording 60 on Thursday.

The Bearcats trailed 2-1 after three sets on Friday, but rallied with a 25-12 win in the fourth set and completed the comeback by outscoring the Bruins 15-8 in the fifth set. Willamette upped its record to 1-4 overall, 1-4 in the NWC. it was WU's third five-set match of the season. GFU dropped to 1-3 overall, 1-2 in the NWC.

Klotz was joined in double figures for kills by teammates Dani Queja (So., OH, Ewa Beach, HI/Maryknoll School) and Kyana Benjamin (Sr., MH, Lubbock, TX/Lubbock HS). Queja provided 14 kills, while Benjamin finished with 10 kills. Arianna Khan (Sr., OH/OPP, Yuba, CA/River Valley HS) supplied nine kills. Benjamin hit .296, Klotz connected at a .242 rate, and Queja hit .238. Klotz and Benjamin each had four block assists.

Emma Porter (So., S, Honolulu, HI/Mid-Pacific Institute) of WU recorded a career-high 64 assists, surpassing her previous best of 54 versus Pacific Lutheran University on Oct. 11, 2019. Shyla Sato (So., LIB, Honolulu, HI/MId-Pacific Institute) added a career-high 35 assists, matching her 35 against Pacific University on March 5 of the current season. Also on Friday, Khan tacked on 18 digs, Queja attained 17 digs, and Porter was credited with 11 digs.

For George Fox, Bailey LeBeton contributed 17 kills, a .452 hitting percentage, and six block assists. Liv Alexander followed with 14 kills, while Kassandra Staton and Paige O'Rear earned 10 kills apiece. Laney Search topped the Bruins with 54 assists and 24 digs. Sophia Lawrence and Piper Harrop each registered 18 digs.

Willamette opened the match with a 25-22 win in the first set. The Bearcats surged out to a 10-4 lead, including eight kills. A bit later, Willamette held a 16-6 advantage on a block by Porter and Klotz. The Bruins countered with a 13-4 run to pull within 20-19. A bad set by GFU and a kill by Klotz increased the Bearcats' lead to 22-19. After George Fox cut the margin to 22-21, WU scored on a kill by Porter and a service ace from Sato for a 24-21 edge. Butler tacked on a kill for GFU, but a bad set by the Bruins on the next rally provided WU with the clinching point.

The second set was tied at 6-6 before George Fox moved out to a 13-9 lead. Willamette tied the set at 14-14. GFU regained the lead on a kill by O'Rear to start a 6-2 run for a 20-16 advantage. Willamette pulled as close as 20-19 on a kill by Klotz. The Bruins tallied the next five points to take the set, 25-19.

In the third set, GFU moved out to a 7-3 edge and never relinquished the lead. Even so, Willamette reduced the margin to two points, 18-16, after a kill from Klotz, and cut the lead to 22-21 on a kill by Queja. Kill by O'Rear and LeBreton, plus a combo block by Staton and LeBreton, gave the Bruins a 25-21 victory for a 2-1 lead.

Willamette and George Fox were tied 10 times in the fourth set to go along with five lead changes. After 23 rallies, the Bruins were in front 13-10. Willamette got within 19-18 on a kill by Klotz. The Bruins grabbed a 21-18 lead, but the Bearcats rallied with five points in a row on a kill by Benjamin, two service aces from Sato, and two kills pounded out by Klotz for a 23-21 advantage. Kills from Butler and O'Rear tied the set, before a kill by Klotz and an ace by Porter delivered the Bearcats a 25-23 win and forced a fifth set.

The Bearcats scored first in the deciding set on a combo block by Benjamin and Klotz. GFU tied the score at 1-1, and then Willamette tallied back-to-back points on kills by Klotz and Elena Vasquez (Sr., OH, Kingston, WA/North Kitsap HS). The next two points went to the Bruins, and the teams were also tied at 4-4 and 5-5. Benjamin gave WU the lead at 6-5 with a kill. Two rallied later, the Bearcats held a 7-6 lead before pulling away with a 6-0 run. Klotz recorded three kills during the run.

George Fox stopped Willamette's offensive surge with a kill by Staton to pull within 13-7, but Benjamin followed with a kill for the Bearcats. Alexander earned a kill for GFU to keep the match going. Klotz provided Willamette's final point in the 15-8 victory with a kill.

WU will play at Linfield University on Thursday, April 1. Match time in McMinnville, Oregon, is set for 7 p.m. (PDT).