McPHERSON, Kan. --- The McPherson College volleyball team completed a regular-season sweep of rival Bethany College with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-17 win at the Sport Center Wednesday evening.
Prior to the contest, student leaders from both institutions gathered on the court to symbolize the unity between the rivals in response to acts of violence perpetrated against the Bethany College community in recent weeks.
The Bulldogs (15-7, 8-5 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) led virtually from start to finish in the contest, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first set on the Swedes (7-15, 5-8 KCAC). McPherson led by as many as eight midway through the set before Bethany used a 7-3 run to halve the deficit at 19-15. The Bulldogs responded with a 5-0 run, mainly on the serve of
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.), to push the lead to 24-15. The Swedes fought off four straight set points before a
Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.) kill gave McPherson the 1-0 lead.
McPherson grabbed a 4-2 lead to open up the second set only to see Bethany respond with an 8-1 rally to move in front, 10-5. The Bulldogs rallied behind the serving of
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.), winning five consecutive points to draw even at 10-10. The teams traded points back-and-forth before three straight errors gave McPherson a 16-14 lead and some much needed breathing room. Bethany clawed its way back into the set, tying McPherson at 19-19. The Bulldogs, though, scored six of the final eight points, including four on Cochran kills to win the set 25-21.
The Bulldog defense came to the forefront in the third set, accumulating 10 blocks. Trailing 11-10, McPherson went on a 6-0 run with four points coming directly off the block.
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) had a hand in all four blocks, while
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.) assisted on three and Cochran the other. Sanders and Cochran each had a kill to account for the other two points. Bethany responded with four of the next six points to maintain contact, but the Bulldogs were too tough up front. Despite some lengthy rallies, McPherson closed out the match on 7-1 run with four more blocks, including a stop by
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and
Sadie Atkins (Altamont, Kan.) to end it.
McPherson finished with 39 kills and 16 blocks. Cochran had a 13-kill, 13-dig double-double with three block assists and a .440 attack percentage. Sanders added six kills, two digs and eight block assists. Sombers had four kills, an ace and matched Sanders with eight blocks, including both of McPherson's solo put-backs.
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.) and
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev.) had 18 assists apiece, with Heinis adding eight digs. Emily Warner had 15 digs from the back row, while Kite added 11 digs and seven kills.
Carli Vasholtz and Nikita Nelson had nine kills each to pace Bethany, which had 29 kills and 29 errors to finish with a .000 attack percentage. Conner Stolley added 22 digs. Yamiq Myles had three kills and six blocks (one solo), while Caitlin Boden added five kills and five block assists.
"It was a fun event where both teams could come together and take a stand on a common ground," said head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "After playing well against Bethany at their place, we picked it up defensively this round with 16 blocks and 53 digs. Jocelyn Cochran - a senior - stepped up, playing almost flawlessly going both ways. This match gives us confidence heading into Homecoming weekend with Southwestern and Oklahoma Wesleyan."
The Bulldogs finish out the week with a pair of tough matches. Southwestern College pays a visit to the Sport Center for a Friday night matchup. The next morning, McPherson makes the journey to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, for an afternoon contest with Oklahoma Wesleyan University. First serve for the varsity is 7 p.m. on Friday night and 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
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