McPherson, Kan. – It came down to the wire for the Lady Bulldogs as they defeated Bethel College 5-4 in a rematch of last years' KCAC Championships match.
"I thought that we played very clutch today when it mattered," said Coach Stuckey. "We had a lot of close matches to overcome but I thought that we played well. The girls really had a lot of focus and determination today against a team in Bethel that put up a good fight."
The duo of Chandler Short and Brittany Gourlay were the only doubles team to win their match, as they took down their opponent 8-1. Both of the other doubles teams lost tight matches, 9-8 at No. 1 doubles and 9-7 at No. 2.
Trailing 1-2 heading into singles, every point counted for the Lady 'Dogs. Gourlay was the first to finish at the No. 3 position, 6-1, 6-4. After Nikki Vorhees lost at No. 1 singles to the NAIA's No. 39 player, Nikki Thornburg evened the match with her victory at No. 4, 6-0, 6-2. Nadine Baquiran won 6-3, 6-4 at No. 5 to give MC the edge but a loss at the No. 2 position by Brooke Vorhees put the game on the shoulders on Claire Crossman. The senior won the first set 6-3 but then fell in the second 6-4; in the final set, Crossman trailed 2-0 but then came back to win 6-4, giving Mac the victory.
The Lady 'Dogs will travel to Ottawa, Kansas to square off against last years' No. 3 team, Ottawa University on April 9th for their next match; start time is slated for 2:00 p.m. (CT)
Final Score
McPherson College 5 – Bethel College 4
Doubles
1. Weaver/Hipp (BC) def. Vorhees/Vorhees (Mac) 9-8 (7-2)
2. Honer/Herzog (BC) def. Thornburg/Baquiran (Mac) 9-7
3. Gourlay/Short (Mac) def. Shogren/Bazbee (BC) 8-1
Singles
1. Bree Honer (BC) def. Nikki Vorhees (Mac) 6-0, 6-1
2. Allie Hipp (BC) def. Brooke Vorhees (Mac.) 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3)
3. Nikki Thornburg (Mac) def. Madelyn Weaver (BC) 6-1, 6-4
4. Brittany Gourlay (Mac) def. Rachel Herzog (BC) 6-0, 6-2
5. Nadine Baquiran (Mac) def. Ashley Suhr (BC) 6-3, 6-4
6. Claire Crossman (Mac) def. Rachel Shogren (BC) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
