NEWBERG, Ore. - After a long two days worth of tough competitions, Multnomah closed out their slate of preseason games with a 3-0 loss against George Fox University. The Lions looked positive during multiple stretches of the game, but their efforts were not enough to find a win in their last game of the 2024 Oregon Trail Classic.

"There were some positive individual moments tonight, but we lacked a certain conviction that would have kept us in the game a bit more," shared Head Coach Nerisa Laban following tonight's loss. "Despite what the score lines say, these girls worked so hard these past two days, and we're grateful to have gotten this experience going into our first weekend of conference games." 

Multnomah (0-4, 0-0 CCC) kept things tight against the Bruins (2-2, 0-0 NWC) during Set 1, with Zoe Schuele and Lauren Porter picking up where they left off after this morning's game. Despite fighting back to be within four points of tying up the score, Multnomah's efforts weren't enough as George Fox would go on to win 25-19.

Set 2 was all about the Bruins, who were led by Addison Robertson and Breanna Babcock offensively, tallying five kills each. On the defensive side of the ball, Piper Harrop and Jenna Kibbs held things together for George Fox, combining for 28 digs on the night. Sydney Priebe stepped up for Multnomah in the second set with seven kills, but George Fox continued to dominate the set, which they would go on to win 25-18.

Multnomah started Set 3 much stronger than the first two sets. Senior transfer Harmony Hunter continued to be a threat for the Lions, forcing the Bruins into some uncomfortable situations which led to multiple attack errors. Schuele's 24 assists played a huge role in the third set, where Multnomah managed to tie things up at 24-24. After battling back and forth, the Lions ultimately won the set 28-26.

Multnomah's comeback would be cut short however, as George Fox came out firing in Set 4. While things were tightly contested through the first few points, the Bruins were able to pull out to a 10 point lead and never looked back. The Lions continued to fight their way through the offensive onslaught, but it was too little too late, as George Fox would go on to win the set 25-13.

Next up for the Lions is their home conference opener against Bushnell on Friday at 6:00 pm, before a Saturday night home matchup against Corban University on Saturday at 4:00 pm.