Bruins Surge In Later Sets To Knock Off Boxers In Four
Box Score
FOREST GROVE – After a pair of close sets to open the match, George Fox surged in the later frames to knock off Pacific in four sets, 25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 25-14, in Northwest Conference volleyball action at the Stoller Center.
The Boxers (12-10, 6-7 NWC) engaged the Bruins in close contests in the first and second set, forcing extra points in the second frame to take away their lone win. George Fox (8-14, 3-10 NWC) dominated the third and fourth frames, combining for 24 kills and just six errors in those sets to cruise to the victory.
Kelsy Takashima (Sr., Kaunakakai, Hawaii) put together another dominant match for the Boxers, finishing with 19 kills and a .318 hitting percentage to go along with three service aces, four digs and six blocks.
Mariah McHolland (So., Renton, Wash.) added 12 kills.
Malea Webb (Fr., Spokane, Wash.) finished with 26 assists and
Jade Thompson (Jr., Marysville, Wash.) had 24 digs. Pacific finished with a .103 hitting percentage, topped by a .191 percentage in the opening set.
Erin Campbell was the only George Fox player with double figure kills, finishing with 12 to go along with 13 digs. Mackenzie Teigen added 22 assists and 15 digs while Chelsey Wilson notched a double-double of 17 assists and 15 digs. The Bruins finished with a .178 hitting percentage.
The first set proved very close with 10 ties and seven lead changes and neither team led by more than three points. The Boxers found themselves down 22-20 when Takashima came up with a block, followed by a pair of kills, to take a 23-22 advantage. Pacific committed errors on two of the final three rallies, giving the Bruins the lead back and the 25-23 win.
Pacific took early control of the second set, going up 15-11 on a Takashima service ace. The Bruins rallied back to tie it at 16-16 on a Pacific attack error and eventually took an 18-17 lead on a Cassie Irwin kill. Pacific found itself dangerously close to going two sets down, going behind 24-23 on a Campbell kill.
Keahi Braginsky-Ahloo (So., Wahiawa, Hawaii) tied it up at 24-24 and McHolland added the final kill for a 26-24 victory.
An early two-point lead for the Boxers disappeared quickly in the third set when the Bruins won five straight points, three off of attack errors, that gave the guests a 9-7 lead. George Fox owned the narrow 13-12 lead before scoring another run of seven straight points, which included three more attack errors, to build a 20-12 lead. Pacific scored just two more points off of their own serve as the Bruins rolled to the 25-18 win.
George Fox opened the fourth set by scoring the first five points and 10 of the first 11 points, taking a 10-1 lead on a block by Tiffany Burk. Pacific used an ace and a Takashima kill to come back to within 10-5, but would win just two more points off of their own serve the remainder of the match.
Pacific still needs one more victory to secure their first winning season since 2007. The Boxers will look for that win on the road Saturday night as they take on Linfield in McMinnville. George Fox plays Friday at Willamette.
