YORK, Neb. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College volleyball team improved to 20-10 overall, tying the program record for wins in a season with a 25-16, 24-26, 25-15, 25-23 victory at York College on Wedneday.
The Bulldogs (20-10, 13-8 KCAC) also reached 20 victories in 1984 (20-19) and 2010 (20-13).
McPherson broke an early 7-7 tie with a 5-0 run behind a pair of kills and a block by
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.), an ace by
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) and a quick kill by setter
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev.). The Bulldogs added a 6-1 run later in the set powered by three
Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.) kills to extend the lead to 10 at 23-13. The teams traded side outs to set McPherson up with a set point. The Panthers (3-30, 2-19 KCAC) fought off two set points before a kill by
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) ended the set.
York scored the first three points of the second set and extended the lead to 5-2 before McPherson rattled off five straight points to move in front by a 7-5 score. The Bulldogs extended the lead to five points at 21-16, but the Panthers responded with a 6-1 run behind two kills each by Halie Ewing and Kylie Wroot to tie the set at 22-22. McPherson scored the next two points to stand on the verge of a 2-0 lead, but York scored four straight points to even the match at a set apiece.
The teams got off to an even start in the third set with a kill by Wroot tying the frame at 13-13. McPherson shut York down the rest of the way, however, closing the set on a 12-2 run capped by two kills from Kite and a shared block by Kite and
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
The Bulldogs took advantage of four Panther errors early in the fourth set to build a 9-5 lead but saw the lead cut to one on a pair of McPherson errors and a kill by Ewing. The visitors scored four of the next six points, only to see York rally behind a Molly Little kill and back-to-back aces by Ewing to tie the set at 13-13. A 5-1 run put McPherson up 18-14, giving the Bulldogs an edge they would not relinquish. After a kill by Kite gave McPherson match point, York scored the next two points to extend the match but another kill by Kite allowed the Bulldogs to close out the match.
Three Bulldogs finished with double-doubles led by Kite, who had 19 kills, 21 digs, two aces and two blocks (one solo). Kite hit .613 with zero errors on 31 total attacks. Cochran added 11 kills and 17 digs, while Little had 31 assists and 13 digs.
Sanders added 12 kills, three aces and six digs, while
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.) had 22 assists and six digs.
Molly Little led York with a match-high 20 kills and Halie Ewing added 13 kills and 11 digs.
"Tonight, we statistically did great as a team both offensively and defensively," said head coach
Jessica Cleveland." It was a well-rounded game for us to come out and play well. York played well, too, making us earn our points. Kite led the team both in kills and digs. We are on our way peaking for postseason."
The Bulldogs close out the regular season Saturday afternoon with a 5 p.m. match at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. McPherson, which has already secured a berth in the KCAC Volleyball Tournament, is locked into the No. 5 seed and will travel to Bartlesville, Okla., to face fourth-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University in a KCAC quarterfinal on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
