Volleyball | 9/7/2011 9:18:00 PM
Box Score Box Score
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College volleyball team opened the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference portion of its schedule in dominating fashion, as the Bulldogs swept visiting Southwestern College, 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14), on Wednesday night at the McPherson Sport Center.
The win improves the Bulldogs to 1-4 overall and 1-0 in KCAC action, while the Moundbuilders fall to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in league play.
“I am pleased overall with our performance tonight,” said McPherson head coach Susan Barton. “We didn’t control certain points of the match like I wanted to, but we kept pushing and forced them into mistakes, which is definitely a positive.”
Senior middle hitter Kory Hiebert (Goessel, Kan.) led McPherson with 10 kills and two block assists, while junior Natalie Boss (Waterville, Kan.) added nine and senior Amy Neufeld (Hillsboro, Kan.) added eight, respectively. As a team, McPherson hammered home 40 kills, while hitting a respectable .272.
Senior setter Brelynn Schloo (Salina, Kan.) led MC with 20 assists, while senior libero Brooke Wedel (Moundridge, Kan.) tallied match-high 13 digs.
McPherson set the tone early with a 4-0 run, including a pair of kills by Neufeld, to open the first set. The Bulldogs tallied another four point run late in the frame to earn the 25-19 victory.
Much like McPherson did in set one, Southwestern took the early advantage in set two with an early 3-0 lead. The Moundbuilders held the advantage until a Neufeld kills knotted the score at 8-8. The two sides traded points before a Schloo ace and Hiebert kill gave McPherson a 12-9 lead. The Bulldogs cruised the rest of the way, including a four-point run to close out set two, 25-19.
After some back and forth action to open set three, McPherson rattled off an 8-2 run to take what would turn out to be too much for the Builders to overcome. Two kills from Boss and one from freshman Tori Phelan (Rangely, Colo.) highlighted the Bulldog rally.
Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Sisneros led Southwestern with nine kills, while sophomore Taylor Hallmark recorded a team-high nine digs. As a team, the Moundbuilders hit .114 and tallied 24 kills.
“We have a lot to work on, but we certainly are doing a lot of good things,” said Barton. “We have tremendous leadership and it shows.”
McPherson returns to action on Friday at the Hastings College Quality Inn Classic. The Bulldogs first of four matches is against Morningside College (Iowa) and is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
