STERLING, Kan. --- The McPherson College volleyball hit a season-best .369 en route to a 25-14, 25-16, 25-15 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) sweep of Sterling College Wednedsay night at the Gleason Physical Education Center.
The Bulldogs (10-6, 4-4 KCAC) used three separate 4-0 runs as part of a larger 13-4 streak to extend a slim 7-6 lead into a dominating 20-10 advantage en route to a 25-14 win in the first set.
Lexi Kite (Thorton, Colo.) had five kills in the set, while
Sadie Atkins (Altamont, Kan.) had a kill and assisted on three blocks and
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had a kill, an ace and two block assists.
McPherson jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set and led 10-5 before four straight points - including a pair of Makenzie Cork service aces - drew the Warriors (8-11, 3-6 KCAC) within a point at 10-9. The Bulldogs led 14-12 before closing the set on an 11-3 run.
Jessica Sanders (Rhome, Texas) had five of her match-high 12 kills in the frame.
The visitors gained an early 4-1 advantage in the third set, eventually pushing the lead to 19-9 after Sanders keyed a 6-0 run with a kill and three block assists. Sanders was also key in closing out the match, recording a kill to give McPherson set point and pairing with
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan.) on a block to end it.
Sanders was the only player to finish with double-digit kills, finishing with 12 against just one error in 16 total attacks for a .688 attack percentage. She also had five block assists. Kite added seven kills, eight digs and a pair of block assists, while
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.) had seven kills. Sombers tallied six kills, two aces, and three block assists, and
Jocelyn Cochran (Newton, Kan.) had six kills and nine digs.
Emily Warner (Wichita, Kan.) had a team-high 10 digs, while
Jamie Siess (Tecumseh, Kan.) matched Cochran with nine.
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla.) had a team-high 22 assists, while Morgan Little had 15.
Cork led Sterling with five kills, while Mikaela Wells added four kills, 19 assists and seven digs.
"This was our best match yet," said head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "Everyone was on fire and played well. We hit .369 as a team with eight blocks and 45 digs. We played like a team and made very few errors. As a coach, it was fun to sit back and enjoy the show. This was a great recovery for us after a tough last week with Ottawa, Friends and Tabor."
The Bulldogs return to the court Friday night, making the trip across town to face Central Christian College at 7 p.m., before beginning a stretch of five out of six at home with a KCAC matchup against University of Saint Mary at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sport Center.
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