The Pioneer volleyball team earned a 25-11, 25-21, 25-20
victory over the visiting George Fox Bruins Saturday night at the
Pamplin Sports Center. Margaret Dowling had 13 kills and 11 digs
for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers broke open a 6-5 first set by scoring six straight
points, including a kill and a block by Katherine Fiedler
(sophomore, San Diego, Calif.), to go up 12-5. After extending the
lead to 16-9, the Pioneers went on another scoring run, putting up
another six straight to extend the lead to 22-9. A hard hit by
Margaret Dowling (freshman, Burlingame, Calif.) closed out the set
to give the Pioneers a 25-11 victory.
In the second set, the George Fox Bruins still looked stunned
after scoring just 11 points in the first set. The Bruins broke a
2-2 tie by making four straight errors to put the Pioneers in
control of the match. The Pioneers extended their lead to seven,
17-10, on a huge hit in the middle from Katherine Fiedler. The
Bruins hitters came alive at that point, with big hits by Natalie
Pickett and Jennifer Panico helping the Bruins to mount a rally. A
service ace by Natalie Pickett cut the Pioneer lead to just three,
23-20. A blistering kill by Katherine fiedler gave the Pioneers a
set-point opportunity. A kill by the Bruins Lyndsay Hovee staved
off the first set point, but a dominating kill by Margaret Dowling
gave the Pioneers the 25-21 victory.
After the break, the two teams battled early in the third set.
With the score tied 7-7, the Pioneers pulled ahead 12-7 with
Margaret Dowling landing three kills in the five-point rally to
give her team a cushion. George Fox answered with a run of their
own. Natalie Picket had two service aces, including one that
brought the Bruins back within one, 14-13. A pickett service error
gave the Pioneers the sideout and a two-point cushion. Once again,
Bruin errors helped out the Pioneers with three attack errors
pushing the Pioneers out to a 19-14 advantage. George Fox pulled
within two, 20-18, on a Pioneer attack error, but they couldn't get
any closer. Margaret Dowling ended the match with her 13th kill of
the night, securing a 25-20 set victory and the 3-0 sweep of the
Bruins.
Margaret Dowling had a match-high 13 kills and 11 digs.
Kathering Fiedler, one of the Conference leaders in attack
percentage, had another very efficient match, landing 9 kills on 15
attacks with just two errors (.467). She also had three solo
blocks.
For the Bruins, Lyndsay Hovee led the offesne with 8 kills. She
also led the defense with 11 digs. Natalie Pickett had six kills,
three service aces, and three blocks (two solo, one assisted).
With the victory, the Pioneers move back over the .500 mark with
a 9-8noverall record and a 4-2 mark in the NWC, moving into a
three-way tie for second place in the Conference. George Fox is
also tied for second with their 4-2 mark. They fall to 10-6
overall.
The Pioneers will be on the road next Friday night, October 10
when they take on the Pacific Boxers in Forest Grove. Live
play-by-play of the match will be available live on the internet
through sportsjuice.com. The match begins at 7 pm.
