NEWBERG, Ore. – It may have taken five sets in Newberg on Friday night, but the Pacific volleyball team prevailed to a 3-2 win over George Fox.
 
The Boxers showed a tremendous amount of perseverance after trailing 2-1 through three sets before they claimed the fourth set 29-27 and the deciding set 15-11.  
 
Top Performers 
 

• Mara Murphy led the Boxers on the attack recording 24 kills which is the fourth time she has surpassed 20 kills this season.
• Danica Nelson played steady in the back row recording 25 digs.
• Shaianne Cambra, Lacy Churchfield, Claire Stipsits and Alyssa Cargill each provided a helping hand on the defensive end with double digit digs.

 
How It Happened
 
The Boxers and Bruins traded points to open the first set. Neither team could gain momentum until the put together a three-point run to take a 20-17 lead. Pacific did everything they could to climb back into the set but the Bruins pulled away to earn the 25-22 set win.
 
Using the close loss in set one to get them going, the Boxers opened up the second set with an 8-1 advantage. Murphy was able to record three kills during the scoring run. Forest Grove's team maintained control in a dominating fashion on the way to tying the match up with a 25-16 set two victory.
 
In the third set, both teams opened up the set fairly even, with a couple small scoring runs going each direction. The Bruins were able to earn the third set victory by scoring seven of the last eight points in the set.
 
What ensued in the fourth set was some excellent volleyball played from both teams. Neither team wanted to give the other side an advantage and the whole set was played even, trading points back-and-forth. Down 25-24, Head Coach Kip Yoshimura wisely called a timeout to come up with a game plan to not surrender the winning point. The timeout did just that, leading to the Boxers scoring five of the next seven points on the way to the 29-27 win and forcing a fifth and deciding set.
 
The fifth set was evenly fought from the two sides. When the teams switched benches midway through the final set, the score was 8-7 and looked as though it would come down to the wire. The Boxers, however, had other plans for their Friday evening by dominating the second half 7-4 on the way to the 15-11 victory.
 
What It Means
 
The Boxers improve to 9-7 and 4-5 in NWC play while the Bruins record falls to 9-8 and 6-4 in conference action.
 
Up Next
 
Pacific looks to go 2-0 on the weekend when Willamette comes to Forest Grove tomorrow night for a match slated to begin at 6 P.M.
 
For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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