McPHERSON, Kan. --- The McPherson College volleyball team struggled to find its offensive momentum Monday night in a three-set Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) loss to rival Tabor at the Sport Center.
Tabor (7-7, 4-1 KCAC) dominated the match offensively, piling up 36 kills to just 17 for McPherson (9-4, 3-2 KCAC) in the 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 win.
The Bluejays came out hot offensively. They hit .286 with 15 kills and just five errors in 35 attempts in the first set, using a 7-0 run midway through the set to turn a 10-9 defict into a 16-10 advantage. The Bulldogs were limited to just an 0.025 attack percentage with nine kills and eight errors on 40 attempts.
McPherson was able to hang close in the second set due to 13 Tabor attack errors despite finishing the frame with just three kills.Trailing 14-9, the Bulldogs scored five straight points to knot the score at 14-14. After the teams traded sideouts, the Bluejays went on an 8-1 run to put the set out of reach. McPherson made a late rally to cut the score to 24-21, but a Tena Loewen kill ended the frame.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 6-2 lead to open the third set, only to see the Bluejays rally with five straight points to take the lead. Tabor conceded the lead momentarily, but a 4-0 run that included a kill and two service aces by Amy Horner put the Bluejays up 11-8 and gave them the lead for good. McPherson got as close as three at 19-16, but Tabor ended the match on a 6-2 run, punctuated by two kills by Loewen and another ace by Horner.
Loewen led all players with 14 kills - the only player for either team to reach double-figures in the category. She also had three aces and three digs. Horner had five kills, three aces, nine digs and five blocks (one solo). Ali Jost led the Bluejays defensively with 20 digs, while Megan Voth added 12 assists and seven digs and Keeley Kroeker had 11 assists.
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) led McPherson with five kills, while
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.) added four.
Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.) had a team-high 11 digs, while
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) posted nine and
Jamie Siess (Tecumseh, Kan.) eight.
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had one kill, two aces, three digs and five blocks (one solo).
"Tabor came in strong - swinging away and being aggressive," said head coach Jessica Cleveland. "Our defense did well against them but then our front line couldn't find wood to score points. Not a single player hit in the positives [in attack percentage] to earn points. Our block did a good job stepping up and getting blocks in crucial times to gain momentum."
McPherson plays its next four matches on the road, beginning Wednesday at Friends University in Wichita. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. The road trip continues Saturday with a 5 p.m. match at Ottawa University.
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