McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Nora Myre recorded a team-high eight kills, but Linfield volleyball (8-11, 5-7 NWC) struggled to find its offensive rhythm in a three-set match against George Fox (5-14, 3-9 NWC) on Saturday evening at Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Bruins claimed the Northwest Conference matchup 25-14, 25-19, 25-20.
Linfield opened the first set with consecutive service aces from Kaylea Rietdyk to establish an early 2-0 advantage. Kills from Kaitlyn Hough and Katelyn Mawdsley helped the Wildcats extend their lead to 4-1 before George Fox responded with four consecutive points to move ahead 5-4. The Bruins gradually pulled away, building an 11-6 advantage before extending the margin to 20-11. Myre recorded a late service ace, while Ascha Nielsen added a pair of kills, but George Fox secured the opening set 25-14. Linfield finished the frame with seven kills and a .097 hitting percentage.
The Wildcats looked to bounce back in the second set, briefly taking a 2-1 lead following a solo block from Nielsen. George Fox responded with a 6-1 run to take a 7-3 advantage before Linfield rallied behind Myre and Chloe Runn. Myre delivered a kill to cut the deficit to 8-5, and Runn followed with consecutive service aces to bring the Wildcats within one at 8-7. The Bruins answered with a 7-2 run to establish a 15-9 lead. Linfield continued battling as Myre recorded five kills in the set, while Mawdsley and Nielsen contributed offensively. A Nielsen kill brought the Wildcats within three at 22-19, but George Fox captured the final three points to take the set 25-19.
Linfield remained competitive throughout the third set, opening with a combined block from Myre and Dani Pomele. After falling behind 6-3, the Wildcats rallied to even the score at 6-6 behind a Nielsen kill and a pair of George Fox setting errors. The Bruins regained control at 12-8 before Linfield mounted another comeback, highlighted by a Banuelos service ace that narrowed the deficit to 12-11. Bella Rodriguez later delivered an ace to bring the Wildcats within one at 14-13, but George Fox answered with a four-point stretch to build a 19-15 lead. Linfield trimmed the margin to 20-18 before the Bruins pulled away, eventually closing out the match with a 25-20 victory.
Myre paced the Wildcats with eight kills on 22 attempts, hitting .182 while adding seven digs, a service ace and a block assist. Mawdsley and Nielsen each contributed five kills, with Mawdsley hitting .188 on 16 attempts. Nielsen also recorded a solo block, while Hough finished with two kills.
Rietdyk led Linfield's defensive effort with five digs and contributed two service aces. Jocie Snyder added four digs, while Runn finished with two aces and three digs. Dannika Goss distributed a team-high six assists, followed by Margaritah Banuelos and Hi'ilei Alo with four apiece. Geymann added three assists, and Banuelos contributed a service ace.
As a team, Linfield finished with 22 kills, 18 assists, seven service aces and 34 digs. The Wildcats hit .065 for the match, while George Fox recorded 34 kills and a .237 hitting percentage. Despite several rallies throughout the contest, Linfield was unable to overcome the Bruins' offensive efficiency and 11 service aces.
The 'Cats face a road trip to Tacoma next weekend, set to take on Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran for their final out-of-state road trip of the regular season slate.
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