McPherson, Kan. – In a must-win, the Bulldog volleyball team did just that as they swept by the University of Saint Mary 3-0 on Saturday. The win sends Mac to the first round of the upcoming KCAC Postseason Tournament.
The opening set was close all the way with USM holding a slight edge throughout; down 23-20, Mac made their move on the heels of Taylor Johnson's stellar serving and scored the next five points to win 25-23. The second was completely controlled by the 'Dogs as they got up by more than a handful and coasted for an easy 25-17 win, bringing the match to a 2-0 McPherson advantage. Set three looked to be a blowout as the Bulldogs went up 9-3 after a 6-0 run; Saint Mary fought back but were never able to overcome the early deficit, losing 25-20.
The two middles for MC recorded 20 of the team's 37 kills with Cortlyne Huppe leading the way with her 11 on 23 swings; the junior had a hitting percentage of 43.5%. Taryn Lee, the other middle, had nine kills and also tabbed two block assists. Taylor Johnson logged 14 assists and 14 digs to go with her four kills and three service aces. Senior Phoebe Barton tallied 13 assists along with four kills and 1.5 blocks. Emily Warner led the team in digs with 22; she also had three aces and one kill.
The Bulldogs earned the No. 8 seed in the 2014 KCAC Postseason Tournament and will travel to Salina, Kansas to face the 25-9, 17-1 Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes on November 11th; start time for the quarterfinal match is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT)
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
