historical present

The key is 'before.' It indicates the past condition.

-Before Woolf moves into action, she was regarded as one amid the girls.

It's an odd voice, though. It reads like a screenplay, rather than a novel. In a novel, it would read:

-Before Woolf moved into action, she was regarded as one amid the girls.

In a screenplay, the verb tense shift is acceptable. Not so in a novel.

OR!

It could be a simple typo and 'moved' was intended from the beginning.

Excellent answer. Thank you.