Volleyball | 10/31/2011 2:06:00 PM
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College volleyball team wraps up the regular season portion of its 2011 schedule when the Bulldogs travel to face University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan., on Monday, Oct. 31, before heading to Sterling, Kan., for a showdown with Sterling College on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m. (CST).
The Bulldogs (10-16, 7-9 KCAC) enter the week No. 7 in the conference standings following a 3-1 loss at Ottawa University on Friday night. McPherson opened the match with a 25-20 set one victory, but struggled offensively from that point on as the Braves took the next three sets and the match.
Saint Mary is 7-20 overall and 4-12 in conference play. The Spires split their two matches last week with a 3-0 sweeping of Southwestern College, before falling to Sterling, 3-1. The Bulldogs won the first meeting between the two schools, 3-0.
The Warriors match against McPherson closes the regular season for Sterling, who enters the week with an 18-13 overall record and 10-7 conference mark. SC is currently tied with Ottawa for the fifth seed in the conference tournament. Sterling won the opening meeting with McPherson, 3-1, on Sept. 17.
Following the week’s matches, McPherson will host to play-in round of the conference postseason tournament on Saturday, Nov. 5. Match time and opponent are to be determined.
Scouting Saint Mary
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The Spires are 7-20 overall and 4-12 in conference play.
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USM has won two of its last five with victories coming against Bethany (3-0) and Southwestern (3-0).
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If the season ended today, USM would be the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament and have to play host to Bethany. The Spires are 2-0 against the Swedes this season.
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Outside hitter Megan Puhr leads the team with 271 total kills, while fellow outside hitter Kelli Miller is second with 237.
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At setter, Shelby Titus owns a team-leading 560 total assists and a 6.1 assists per set average. However, Titus has been limited to just five assists in USM’s last three matches.
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As a team, USM owns a .128 attacking percentage with 1,078 total kills. Additionally, they rank 21st nationally in digs per game (17.97).
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The Spires are coached by Conan Salanoa
Scouting Sterling
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The Warriors are 18-13 overall following a 3-1 loss to Ottawa on Saturday.
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SC is 4-4 in their last eight matches
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Outside hitter Sara Steria leads the Warriors with 349 kills and a 3.4 kills per set average. She is averaging 14.3 kills per match over SC’s last four contests.
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Defensively, defensive specialist Mamaiataloa Fiaseu has a team-high 3.9 digs per set average, while Steria is second at 2.9 digs per set.
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If the season eneded today, Sterling would be in a tie with Ottawa University for the fifth seed in the conference tournament. The two sides split their matches this season, so it would have to go to the tie-breaker system
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The Warriors are coached by John Harding
