McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College volleyball team sent its seven seniors out as winners in their final regular-season home match, sweeping Sterling College, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21, in front of a partisan crowd at the Sport Center on Friday.
Seniors
Molly Kelley (Shawnee, Kan.),
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas),
Maci Schlehuber (Hillsboro, Kan.),
Sadie Atkins (Altamont, Kan.),
Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.),
Jill Johnson (Fredonia, Kan.) and
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) were recognized prior to the match for their contributions to the program.
After starting the match fairly even, Sterling (11-19, 5-14 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) used a 7-1 run to turn an 8-8 tie into a 15-9 lead. McPherson (19-10, 12-8 KCAC) was able to respond, however. After trading sideouts, the Bulldogs rattled off four points in a row to cut the deficit to two points at 16-14. The teams traded service back-and-forth, moving the score to 19-16 before McPherson was able to string together three straight rallies and tie the set. The Warriors had an opportunity to try and close out the frame, up 23-22 and on serve, but three straight kills by
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.) gave the hosts the opening stanza.
McPherson, backed by kills from Cochran,
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.), grabbed a 4-1 lead to open the second set. Sterling battled back, taking three points in a row to draw even. Both teams struggled to string together more than a couple consecutive points at a time until the Bulldogs posted four straight points to turn a 12-11 deficit into a 15-12 lead. McPherson played from ahead the rest of the set, leading by as many as four at 20-16. The Warriors scored three in a row to get back within a point, but the Bulldogs were able to keep them at arms reach, responding to every sideout with one of their own, with Cochran providing the capper off an assist from
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev.).
In the third set, McPherson jumped out to a 7-2 lead behind a pair of kills from Atkins and a kill and an ace from Sanders. The teams traded 4-0 runs to push the score to 11-6. Sterling followed with a 5-2 run to get within two at 13-11 before a block by Atkins and Sanders of an attack by Makenzie Cork helped spark another 4-0 run. A kill by Cork followed by three straight Bulldog attack errors and, after a sideout, two kills by Brandi Fairbank allowed the Warriors a chance to get back into the set. The 6-1 run shaved the deficit to just a single point at 18-17. The teams traded the next four points, leading McPherson to take a timeout with a slim 20-19 advantage. Out of the timeout, Kite won back the serve for the Bulldogs with a kill and followed it up with an ace to build the lead to three. The teams traded sideouts before a kill from Sanders gave McPherson match point. Another Fairbank kill extended the match, but it was for naught, as Cochran sent home a kill to end the match.
Kite and Cochran each finished with double-doubles to lead the Bulldogs. Kite paired a match-high 18 kills with 10 digs, an assist and two aces, while Cochran had 10 kills and 12 digs. Sanders added eight kills, five digs, an ace and a pair of block assists. Seiler posted five kills, while
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.)s had 21 assists, four digs and two aces, and Little added 17 assistts and five digs. Warner led McPherson with 18 digs.
Fairbank and Chelsey Riffel each had a team-high 12 kills to lead Sterling, while Mikaela Wells had a match-high 32 assists and Mykela Riedl added a match-high 20 digs. Fairbank also had six blocks (three solos), as the Warriors posted 11 as a team. Whitney Long chipped in with six kills, nine digs and three block assists.
"It was so fun to recognize the seven seniors on our team," said head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "They all got to start the match and end with a 'W'. Cochran and Kite each finished with double-doubles on the night, while Warner led the team with 18 digs. I am so proud of this group of seniors for sticking it out, especially those who have been in the program for four years. They will be known as the class that turned the program around in one year. I inherited a great group of senior leaders."
The Bulldogs take to the road for their final two regular-season KCAC matches, beginning with a trip to York College for a varsity-only contest on Wednesday, November 2. Then, it is on to Salina to face rival Kansas Wesleyan University on Saturday, November 5. First serve for both varsity matches is 7 p.m.
McPherson, which locked up a KCAC Tournament berth last week, is guaranteed to finish somewhere between fourth and sixth in the final league standings. Currently fifth, the Bulldogs would need to win out and hope Oklahoma Wesleyan loses its final three matches -- Monday against Tabor, Wednesday against Friends and Saturday, November 5, against Ottawa -- in order to secure a home quarterfinal match against those same Eagles, or Friends. OKWU swept McPherson this season, while the Falcons and Bulldogs split. McPherson's home matches against both schools went five sets, with the Bulldogs falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan and beating Friends.
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