TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers start out Northwest Conference play hot, beating the Bruins and continuing positive momentum from the Cal Lu Fornia Tournament.

How it Happened
The first point of the evening got off to a great start, as the Loggers traded quick runs to tie the score up at four. Makela Pick and Erin Fagan got the hot hand early, securing back-to-back kills. A pair of kills by Maddie Badger helped extend the lead to two, but the Bruins came right back. Fox took the lead 12-11, but the Loggers put a quick end to it. They went on a 9-2 run, highlighted by six kills and two aces, pulling ahead to a 20-14 lead. 

A quick run by the Bruins pulled the game within three, but the Loggers came back strong. Kills by Badger and Mackenzie Leith, and an ace by Fagan put the set away, giving the Loggers a strong 25-17 set win. 

The second set started out promising for the Loggers as well, getting of to a quick 4-1 lead. The Bruins went on a run of their own, pulling ahead 6-4 after scoring five straight. A back-and-forth battle led to a 6-1 Puget Sound run, giving the Loggers the lead thanks to a kill by Pick and an ace by Randi Rush. An 11-1 run by the Bruins dampened the hopes for the second set, as Fox pulled away with an insurmountable lead. Two more kills by Badger helped pull the Loggers within three, but an attack error sealed the deal, dropping the second set 20-25. 

Third set action was off to a rocky start, but it didn't take the Loggers long to respond. After being down three, they went on a 7-2 run, as Fagan picked up three kills in that span. They took the lead and never looked back, not letting the Bruins back in the match. After the Bruins pulled within two, the Loggers went on a 12-3 run to finish the set. Fagan found her groove, picking up back-to-back aces to put the Bruins away 25-14. 

As the fourth set arrived, the crowd started to get more boisterous. This helped the Loggers to a nice 7-1 run, coming from behind after being down 4-6. Leath and Mia Fedota both got in on the action, picking up a kill each in that span. The Loggers slowly widened their lead, extending it to six after another Fagan ace. The Bruins marched right back into the match, though, pulling within one with four to play. Puget Sound relied on their reigning rookie of the year, as Badger smashed three kills to secure the victory –25-23. 

The Loggers won their first NWC match of the season, taking the Bruins down in four. 

Top Performers
Badger continued to play well, picking up 16 kills and hitting an impressive .667 on the evening. Rush continued to average around 10 assists per set, picking up 39, while Fagan led the team with six aces. 

Coach's Thoughts
"We got some strong offensive performances tonight from Middle Maddie Badger and Outside Erin Fagan, big kills from each of them," said Logger head coach Mark Massey. "Both teams were throwing some heavy punches with tough serving, but in the end I thought we adjusted and settled  down a bit more than GFU.

George Fox switched systems plus added a new player from our preseason scout, so it took us a bit to adjust to that. Akira Anderson had another great defensive night, and Mia Fedota was very efficient attacking in the Middle."

What Happens Next
The Loggers take on the Lewis and Clark Pios tomorrow, September 20th, at 6:00 pm.