North Newton, Kan. – Things seemed to be going in the right direction early for Mac volleyball on Saturday as they took the opening set on Bethel College 25-20 but three straight wins by the Threshers ended the match in the favor of the home team. McPherson is now 3-11 on the year and 0-4 in conference.
After leading for the first few points of the opening set, MC saw themselves in a bit of a whole, 16-11; a finish of 14-4 gave the Bulldogs the first set of the match 25-20.
In the second, Mac held a slim lead in the beginning but a 6-0 run by the Threshers midway through proved too much as the 'Dogs lost 25-21.
The third set was another back-and-forth set until another run by Bethel gave them enough to coast to a 25-19 win, putting them ahead 2-1 for the match.
The Bulldogs were not going to go down easy as they jumped out in front 4-0 in the fourth set. BC clawed back and eventually took the lead during a 7-0 run. Mac pushed back late with a mini-run of their own and jumped back on top 20-18. Unfortunately, Bethel ended the set on a 7-2 run to claim the set and match.
Freshman Lexi Kite led McPherson in total points and kills with 15.0 and 12, respectively; she logged a pair of aces and one solo block in the match. Taryn Lee posted nine kills on 21 attempts and also had three solo stuffs and a pair of assisted blocks.
The two setters of McPherson's 6-2 system each had 16 assists in the match. Rhianna Smith had five digs while Maci Schlehuber recorded three.
Emily Warner tallied 21 digs from her libero position to lead the team. Kite was second on the list with her 13.
Mac will look to pick up their first KCAC win of the year this coming Monday, September 21 as they host Sterling College for a 7:00 p.m. (CT) match in the Sport Center; JV will begin at 5:30 p.m.
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McPherson College is a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference member school and a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
