McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College volleyball team extended league-leading Ottawa University to a fifth set but was unable to complete the upset, falling 25-14, 20-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-8 in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) match in front of a raucous crowd Wednesday at the Sport Center.
The Braves (24-7, 18-0 KCAC), who were receiving votes in the most recent NAIA Coaches Poll, looked well on its way to a sweep after holding the Bulldogs (18-10, 11-8 KCAC) to just five kills in a 25-14 first-set win. McPherson actually led 5-1 and was tied as late as 10-10 before Ottawa closed the frame with a 15-4 run. Janaya Fox matched the entire Bulldog squad with five kills and had six digs, while Kenna Hall added four.
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.) had four of McPherson's five kills.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-3 lead to start the second set and played with the lead the rest of the way to even the match with a 25-20 win. McPherson put down 16 kills and hit .400, led by five kills from Kite and three each from
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas),
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.) and
Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.).
Ottawa rebounded in the third set, grabbing a 12-6 lead to force the Bulldogs to take a timeout. McPherson responded with seven of the next 10 points out of the timeout to cut the deficit to 15-13, capping the stretch with a block by Sanders and
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan.). The Bulldogs continued to chip away at the lead, finally tying the set at 20-20 on a kill by Sanders. After trading sideouts, McPherson scored three straight points on Cochran's serve to win the set with Cochran punctuating the set win with an ace. Sanders and Cochran had four kills apiece.
Using the momentum from their third-set win, the Bulldogs enjoyed a lead throughout most of the fourth set. A kill by Sanders gave McPherson a 21-18 lead, but some untimely attack errors and a couple of kills by Fox fueled a 5-0 run to put the Braves up 23-21. The Bulldogs scored the next two points to tie the set, but a pair of kills by Fox allowed Ottawa to knot the match and send it to a deciding fifth set.
McPherson was unable to recapture its lost momentum as Ottawa opened the fifth set on a 7-1 run. The Bulldogs eventually closed the gap to four points at 10-6, but the Braves responded with a 4-0 run. A kill by Kite and an Ottawa attack error drew McPherson within six at 14-8, but a kill by Avery Enzbrenner brought the match to a close.
Fox led Ottawa with a 24-kill, 14-dig double-double, while Enzbrenner added 14 kills and five digs. Adriana Skipper had 54 assists and three digs, while four Braves - Fox, Augusta Sinclair (12), Jordan Halsey (23) and Jill Starling (10) finished with double-digits in digs. Angela Roberts added five kills, two digs and three solo blocks.
Kite racked up 19 kills and 10 digs for her fourth straight double-double and seventh in nine matches. Cochran (10 kills, 23 digs) and
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev.) (25 assists, 10 digs) also posted double-doubles, while Sanders added 10 kills and
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.) had 19 assists.
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) had a match-high 26 digs.
"This was the match I saw the most heart and will to win in the girls," remarked McPherson head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "My goal was to win one set and theirs was to win more. We couldn't clinch the upset in the fifth set but we proved to [Ottawa] we are here to compete. We were not scared of their big hitters and we played well defensively. Cochran was our senior captain and leader in tonight's match."
McPherson closes out its home schedule Friday with a Senior Night matchup with rival Sterling (11-18, 5-13 KCAC). The Bulldogs still have an outside shot at a home KCAC quarterfinal game but will need to run the table and get some help as Oklahoma Wesleyan, which currently holds the No. 4 spot, swept the season series from McPherson. The Eagles have the tougher schedule down the stretch, though, finishing with matches against Ottawa, Tabor and Friends - all teams currently in the top half of the KCAC standings.
