Sanders Leads Volleyball to Sweep at Home Triangular

 
 
McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) totaled 24 kills over two matches as the McPherson College volleyball team captured wins over the University of the Southwest (N.M.) and Central Christian College in a triangular Friday at the Sport Center.

McPherson def. Univ. of the Southwest, 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-12, 25-21)
After splitting the first two sets with the Mustangs, the Bulldogs were dominant in the third set. McPherson hit .462 on 13 kills and only one error in 26 total attacks.

Tied at 3-3, the Bulldogs went on a 6-1 run to take control of the set. After trading side outs, McPherson added six more points on the serve of Jamie Siess (Tecumseh, Kan.) to grab a 16-5 advantage. The lead grew to 15 points at 24-9 but Southwest fought off three straight set points before Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.) ended the frame with a kill.

In the fourth set, McPherson grabbed an early lead with six straight points, including five on Jessica Sanders' serve. Southwest eventually drew even at 15-15 and the teams traded points all the way up to 19-19 before the Bulldogs were able to string together consecutive points and take a 21-19 lead.

The Mustangs bounced back to tie the match at 21-21, but McPherson scored four consecutive points to close out the match, punctuating the proceedings with a block by Sanders and Sadie Atkins (Altamont, Kan.) for the final point.

Sanders and Kite finished with 15 kills apiece as the Bulldogs racked up 55 as a team in the four-set win. McPherson also hit .277 compared to Southwest's .156 and had a 10-5 advantage in service aces – including three each from Sanders and Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.).

Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.) added eight kills to go with a team-best 15 digs. Heinis had 23 assists and seven digs in addition to her three aces, while Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev.) registered 20 assists and six digs.

Jamie Siess had 14 digs and Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) 12 among back row players for the Bulldogs.

McPherson def. Central Christian, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-23)
In the final match of the evening, McPherson raced out to a 2-0 lead in the final match of the evening, holding Central Christian to just five kills and a negative attack percentage in the first set and 10 kills but nine errors in just 30 attacks in the second set.

The Tigers seemed to find their offense in the third set. Each team had a series of small runs in the frame, but the Bulldogs grabbed a 17-14 lead with three straight points in the middle of the set. The lead would not hold, however, as Central Christian scored nine of the next 13 points to grab a 23-21 edge.

McPherson responded with a run of its own, scoring the next four points and closing out the match on a kill by Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.).

Sanders finished with a match-high nine kills while Cochran added eight kills and five digs.

Heinis (19) and Little (11) grabbed the majority of McPherson's 33 assists and Warner's 23 digs accounted for nearly half of the team's 48 overall.

Kasi Kraus had a team-high seven kills and 12 digs to lead Central Christian (3-4).

"These were two great wins for the Bulldogs," said head coach Jessica Cleveland. "We came out aggressive and got [USW] out of system, forcing them to send us easy balls back in return. We were dominant at the net with our blocks, averaging 2.0 per set against USW to help elevate our national rankings in blocks per set. This was a good match to prepare us for Oklahoma Wesleyan on Wednesday."
 
"Central Christian is our crosstown rival," Cleveland added. "The loud crowd helped us bring our energy and intensity up. We ran some effective plays that helped us earn points. The back row really stepped up because we weren't getting enough positive block touches."
 
With just one nonconference game remaining on the slate (Sept. 30 at Central Christian), the focus for McPherson shifts squarely onto KCAC play. The Bulldogs, now 8-2, return to league play on Wednesday, Sept. 14, when they host Oklahoma Wesleyan University at the Sport Center.