George Fox 3, Walla Walla 0: Bruins Whip Wolves to Win Home Opener

McFadden topped the Wolves with nine kills and Natalle Wilkening added eight.

Salem-News.com Sports

NEWBERG, Ore. - Getting the home portion of their 2009 season started on a good note, the George Fox University Bruins swept the Walla Walla University Wolves 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-17) in a non-conference women’s volleyball match Tuesday night here at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym.

The Bruins never trailed in set one after jumping out to an early 6-1 lead, a block by Kaitlyn Maddams and Lyndsay Hovee and a kill by Hovee capping a 5-0 run. The home team stretched the lead to 19-9 on a service ace by Jennifer Panico and three times led by 11 points, closing out the set with a winner by Stephanie Kerr.

The teams battled neck and neck, with neither side holding more than a three-point lead, for most of set two. After 12 ties, the last at 20-20, the Bruins broke free by scoring the final five points on two kills by Panico, a Walla Walla attack error, an ace by Ali Toedtemeier, and another hitting error.

The Bruins trailed only once in set three, down 2-1 on a Heather McFadden ace, but could not pull away until midway through. A 9-0 run featuring two aces by Panico and two kills by Eliza Pledger enabled the Bruins to build an 18-9 lead from a 9-9 deadlock, and the Wolves got no closer than six points thereafter. A cross-court winner by Sarah Crossfield ended the match.

Hovee had 10 kills to lead all hitters, Panico added nine, and Pledger had eight as the trio combined for a .328 attack percentage, totaling 27 kills and only seven errors in 61 attempts. The Bruins hit .233 as a team. Hovee also led the defense with 16 digs, aided by 10 each by Panico and Carley Johnson. Maddams contributed to four of the Bruins’ five blocks. Toedtemeier passed out 18 assists and Lani Rasmussen 17.

McFadden topped the Wolves with nine kills and Natalle Wilkening added eight. Wilkening and Antoinette Bedross had 14 digs apiece, and Torrey Haddad handed out 24 assists. The Wolves struggled to a .037 hitting percentage with 27 kills but 23 errors.

George Fox (1-1) heads for Thousand Oaks, Calif., this weekend to participate in the Cal-Lu-fornia Invitational Tournament at California Lutheran University. On Friday, the Bruins will meet Chapman University at 12:30 p.m. and the University of Redlands at 3:00 p.m. in a revised schedule. On Saturday, the Bruins will face Dominican University of California at 3:00 p.m. and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 5:00 p.m. Walla Walla (4-6) visits Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Ore., Monday at 6:00 p.m.

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