LEAVENWORTH, Kan. ---
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.) racked up 16 kills and 19 digs for her sixth double-double in the last eight matches and her seventh of the season as the McPherson College volleyball team swept the University of Saint Mary, 28-26, 25-22, 25-23, in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) match at the Ryan Sports Center.
The host Spires (10-17, 8-10 KCAC) jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in the first set on the Bulldogs (18-9, 11-7 KCAC) and led 12-6 before McPherson mounted a charge. A 8-2 run capped by a block by
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.) knotted the score at 14-14. After trading side-outs, Saint Mary scored four of the next five points to grab an 19-16 edge. The lead was short-lived, though, as four straight McPherson points put the visitors back in front. The Bulldogs fought off a set point at 25-24, scoring four of the last five points of the set to grab the 28-26 win.
Saint Mary got off to a quick start in the second set as well, leading 10-3 before McPherson was able to begin righting the ship. The Bulldogs won 12 of the next 15 points to grab a 15-13 lead. Three quick points put the Spires back in front by a single marker, but a 9-3 McPherson run left the Bulldogs with a set point at 24-19. Saint Mary fought off three straight set points to cut the lead to 24-22 before Kite hammered home a kill to put the visitors up 2-0.
The Bulldogs started slow in the third set, using a 9-3 run to turn a 5-2 deficit into an 11-8 lead. Four straight points put the Spires back in front. The teams traded runs, pushing the lead to 18-18. From there, McPherson scored six points in an eight-rally stretch to set up match point. Saint Mary battled back, though, scoring three straight points to cut the Bulldog lead to just a single point at 24-23 before another kill by Kite ended the match.
Kite finished with 16 kills and 19 digs, while
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) added eight kills.
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan.) had five kills, while
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.) racked up two kills, 13 assists and seven digs.
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev.) tallied a team-high 17 assists and
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) added a match-high 30 digs.
Savannah Fillion led Saint Mary with 12 kills, six digs and five blocks (one solo). Maleka Benjamin added 10 kills, four digs and five block assists.
McPherson returns the Sport Center for its final two home matches of the regular season. First up is a matchup with league-leading Ottawa University on Wednesday evening. That will be followed by a Senior Night match against rival Sterling on Friday evening. Both matches begin with junior varsity at 5:30 p.m. with varsity matches at 7 p.m.
