McPHERSON, Kan. --- After dropping the first two sets, the McPherson College volleyball team charged back to top Friends University in five sets (14-25, 21-25, 28-26, 25-18, 25-12) Friday night in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) match at the Sport Center.
Early on, it looked as if the match would be a runaway sweep by the Falcons (10-18, 8-8 KCAC), who used an 15-3 run to turn a 6-5 defict into a 20-9 lead. The teams traded the rest of the way as Friends held McPherson (17-9, 10-7 KCAC) to a -0.061 attack percentage in the first set while hitting .259 themselves en route to the 25-14 victory.
The second set started out fairly even with the Bulldogs using a 5-0 run to build a 12-9 lead. The Falcons responded with 6-1 run to move in front 15-13. McPherson drew even at 18-18 on a kill by
Lexi Kite (Thornton, Colo.), who finished with nine in the set. Four consecutive side-outs followed to take the score to 20-20 before Friends closed out the set with a 5-1 run capped by a block by AJ Cossell and Megan Bohn.
The Falcons grabbed the early advantage in the third set, using a 7-1 run to break a 6-6 tie and move out in front 13-7. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead, however, scoring seven points in a nine-rally stretch to knot the score at 22-22 on a block by
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) and
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan.). After trading side-outs, a Sanders attack error gave Friends match point. A kill by
Sadie Atkins (Altamont, Kan.) kept the match alive. A McPherson setting error in the ensuing rally gave the Falcons another match point, but again, an Atkins kill prolonged the match. Sanders followed with a service ace that clipped the top of the net to give the Bulldogs set point. Bohn recorded her ninth kill of the set to draw even at 26-26, but another Atkins kill followed by a Friends setting error gave the hosts the third set.
Energized by the finish of the third set, McPherson played from ahead nearly from the jump in the fourth set. The Bulldogs used a 5-1 run to turn an 11-9 lead into a 15-10 advantage, then after consecutive points by the Falcons, embarked on a 6-1 streak to push the lead to 21-13. From there, the teams traded side-outs before a kill by
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) on a free ball gave McPherson a 25-18 win and sent the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.
Friends took an early 3-1 lead only to see the Bulldogs score seven straight points - the last two on blocks of Bohn attacks by Sanders and Wallace - to head into the side change with an 8-3 edge. The Falcons stopped the rally with another kill by Bohn, but couldn't score on serve. The teams traded side-outs to push the score to 13-7 with Kite ending a long rally with a kill. Friends rallied with five straight points to cut the deficit to one and force a McPherson time out. A kill by Leia Seiler on the first rally out of the stoppage gave the Bulldogs an improbable match point and Wallace closed out the match with a kill.
Kite finished with 21 kills and 20 digs to lead McPherson. It was her sixth double-double of the season and fifth in the last seven matches. Sanders and Seiler had 10 kills apiece with Sanders adding an ace and six blocks (one solo). Seiler had four digs and two block assists. Wallace and Atkins added six kills apiece.
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) had a team-high 33 digs, while
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.) added 27 assists and Morgan Little 26.
Bohn had a huge match for Friends, racking up 30 kills, 10 digs and five block assists. AJ Cossell added 10 kills and Ashleigh Hunter nine. Libero Andrea Kappelman had a match-high 35 digs, while Jana Boston posted 55 assists and 12 digs. Brittany Harris added 10 digs.
"After coming out 0-2, I didn't think we had it to win, but the girls proved me wrong," said head coach
Jessica Cleveland, who beat her alma mater for the first time as a four-year coach. "They came out and had a change of heart and played great! We won our first five-set match of the year and Kite carried the team with 21 kills and 20 digs. Warner also added 33 digs. We are extremely excited for this win after losing in three sets the first time around."
McPherson takes to the road for a trip to the University of Saint Mary on Monday evening. The varsity-only contest begins at 7 p.m. That will be followed by the Bulldogs' final two regular-season matches of the season - against Ottawa on Wednesday and Sterling on Friday.
