Press Release
8/31 - GEORGE FOX 3, EASTERN OREGON 1: Bruins Open Season with Win over Mountaineers
SALEM, Ore. - Closing out the fourth and final game of the match with a 7-0 run, the George Fox University Bruins opened their 2007 women's volleyball season with a 3-1 win (30-27, 30-28, 17-30, 30-20) over the Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers in the Willamette University Tournament Friday evening here at Cone Fieldhouse.
In the opening game, George Fox jumped out to an early 9-2 lead and never trailed, but could never put Eastern Oregon away fully. The Mountaineers stayed within striking distance and used a 5-0 run late in the game, thanks to four Bruin attack errors, to tie it for the first time at 27-27. However, the Bruins responded with a kill by Sarah Crossfield to break the tie, and the Mountaineers hit the next two points out of bounds to give George Fox the win.
In game two, it was Eastern Oregon which bolted to a big early lead of 14-5, only to see George Fox come battling back. Led by Jennifer Panico's six kills in the game, the Bruins rallied to forge a 23-23 deadlock. The game was tied at 24-24, 27-27, and 28-28, before a kill and a service ace by Panico secured the win for the Bruins.
The Mountaineers again took a huge early lead of 15-5 in game three, but this time the team from La Grande would not be denied, hitting .243 for the game and continuing to pull away. Grace DeBoodt paced EOU with five kills and no errors in 10 attempts.
George Fox led throughout game four but was not able to secure firm control until the end. After Kiley Cobb's service ace pulled Eastern Oregon within three at 23-20, the Bruins took the final seven points on a kill by Natalie Pickett, an ace by Sarah Burkey, two EOU attack errors, and kills by Panico, Jessica Morrison, and Panico again to end the match.
Panico led a trio of Bruins in double-digit kills with 14, while Elizabeth Anderson and Whitney Kolb added 10 apiece. Amy (Knight) Batchelder had 41 assists. Panico also had 19 digs, with Batchelder saving 17 and Jenna Dohren 14. The middle played strong defense for the Bruins as they recorded 14 team blocks, with Pickett in on eight and Anderson and Morrison on five each.
DeBoodt topped the Mountaineers with 14 kills and Ashleigh Dailey added 13, while Alissa Clinton had 19 assists and Chelsea Herron 17. Cobb led all defensive players with 26 digs, Chelsea Lally had 17, and Clinton had 11.
Both teams showed early-season jitters on offense, the Bruins hitting .086 with 52 kills but 35 errors in 198 attempts, and the Mountaineers managing only a .060 mark with 44 kills and 34 errors in 167 attempts.
George Fox (1-0) takes on the University of California-Santa Cruz at 11:30 a.m. and host Willamette at 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Eastern Oregon (0-2), which lost earlier Friday to UC-Santa Cruz, meets Linfield College at 9:00 a.m. and Willamette at 2:00 p.m. Saturday on the final day of the tournament.