NEWBERG, Ore. – Roshel Muzzall and Chloe Epker combined for 29 kills as Pacific Lutheran claimed a four-set Northwest Conference volleyball win over George Fox Saturday night at Wheeler Sports Center.

PLU improved to 9-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play after defeating the Bruins by set scores of 25-15, 26-24, 21-25 and 25-19. George Fox fell to 4-9 overall and 1-5 in conference play. The Lutes return to action Wednesday, when they will take on cross-town rival Puget Sound at 7 p.m. at UPS.

"It was a great bounce-back win for the Lutes," PLU head coach Kevin Aoki said. "There's a lot of parity in the league this year. The race is just beginning."

Muzzall totaled 15 kills on a .237 attack percentage, while Epker finished with 14 kills on a .262 attack percentage. Kendle Valade-Nunez picked up 41 assists and added 12 digs for the double-double, while Kylai Cooley led the Lutes with 26 digs. Delaney Cruz led George Fox with 13 kills, while Payton Shrum contributed 42 assists.

The opening set was all PLU. The Lutes scored the first six points on the strength of four Epker service aces and never looked back. PLU's lead reached as many as 12 points on four different occasions, and Epker capped the 25-15 victory with a kill.

The second set was much more balanced, with 10 tie scores, five lead changes and an extra point required to determine a winner. An early four-point streak gave the Lutes an 8-5 lead before George Fox rallied to tie it up at 14-14. The teams took turns claiming a narrow lead, with the final tie score coming at 24-24 before the Lutes closed out the set win on a kill by Epker and a block by Michaela Edgers.

George Fox came out strong to begin the third set, scoring the first five points and taking a quick 13-4 lead. A late 11-5 run brought PLU back within two at 23-21 as Epker and Edgers kills combined for five out of six points, but consecutive blocks by the Bruins clinched the 25-21 GFU win and forced a fourth set.

The final set was close early with five tie scores by the time the teams reached 10-10. Back-to-back blocks by Edgers and Epker started another 11-5 PLU run to give the Lutes a 21-15 lead, and a few minutes later the Lutes clinched the 25-19 set and the 3-1 match win on consecutive kills by Muzzall.