Newberg, Ore. - Volleyball battled back to win the third set at George Fox University, but eventually fell to the host Bruins by scores of 25-13, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19.
The Bruins got off to a strong start in set one, taking the first three points and opening up a 6-2 lead, but the Bearcats battled back and took a 7-6 advantage on a kill by Kaitlyn Westby. Willamette pulled back ahead 10-9 on a block by Katey Cramer and Caroline Jameson, but George Fox went on to win the next ten points to take a 19-10 lead and eventually win the opening set 25-13.
The second set started well for the Bearcats as they jumped out to a 4-2 lead only to see the Bruins score five straight points to pull ahead 7-4. Willamette fought back and took at 17-15 lead on the strong serve of Katey Cramer, but another run gave George Fox the lead back at 21-17. The Bearcats pulled within one point at 21-20, but the Bruins took the final four points and the second set, 25-20.
Set number three would be back-and-forth like the first two, this time with the Bearcats coming out on top. Trailing 18-17 late in the set, Willamette won eight of the final eleven points to pull out the 25-21 win in the third set. A couple of kills by Nora Wade and a service ace by Dream Takemoto helped the Bearcats in that final run.
The fourth and final set of the match didn't go the Bearcats' way as the Bruins jumped off to leads of 10-3 and 15-5. Willamette fought back and closed the gap to 22-17, but George Fox closed out the set and the match, 25-19.
Cadien led Willamette in kills with 10, followed by Nora Wade who hit .353 with 8 kills in 17 chances. Leina Chu led the way with 29 assists and Dream Takemoto provided 18 digs. Cadien, Takemoto, and Katey Cramer each had three service aces and Kaitlyn Westby contributed four blocks.
Volleyball returns home to Cone Fieldhouse for their next three matches, starting with Whitman College at 7:00 pm on Friday, November 1st. They follow that by playing Whitworth University on Saturday, November 2nd, at 6:00 pm and host Pacific University on Tuesday, November 5th, at 7:00 pm.
