HILLSBORO, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- Three players finished with double-digit kills led by 15 from
Lexi Kite (Thornton, Colo., Prairie View HS) as the McPherson College volleyball team posted a 25-19, 25-18, 20-25, 28-26 victory over Tabor College Friday night to sweep the regular-season home-and-home series with the Bluejays.
Kite added 18 digs, an assist and a block assist to finish with a double-double.
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo., Pinecreek HS) and
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan., East HS) had 12 kills each in the winning effort for the Bulldogs. Sombers also had four blocks (two solos).
McPherson (16-8, 12-6 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) raced out to an 8-2 lead in the first set, forcing Tabor coach Amy Ratzlaff to call a timeout. The Bluejays (18-8, 13-4 KCAC) rallied for seven straight points to move in front by a 9-8 score before the Bulldogs were able to get the sideout on a kill by Kite. Tabor scored the next two points to move back in front but, after trading service errors, McPherson went on an 8-1 run to take an 18-13 lead. The Bluejays were able to cut the lead back to three at 20-17 on a Keeley Kroeker service ace, but gave the point right back as Kroeker's next service went into the net. The Bulldogs scored five of the last seven points to take the set, capped by a
Riley Bradbury (Highlands Ranch, Colo., Rock Canyon HS) kill.
McPherson hit .423 in the first set with 13 kills on 26 attacks with just two errors. Tabor was limited to just a .061 hitting percentage with 11 kills on 33 attacks with nine errors.
Sombers kicked off the second set with a solo block of Kendra Kroeker. Tabor scored the next two points, but McPherson scored six of the next seven to take a 7-3 lead. A 5-1 run later in the set extended the lead to six points at 15-9. The Bluejays used a 5-2 run late in the set to close to within four at 22-18, but a Sombers kill gave the Bulldogs the sideout and consecutive kills by Kite closed out the frame.
Tabor regrouped in the third set, opening with a 4-1 run. McPherson responded with four straight points, including two on kills by Kite, to take a 5-4 lead. The lead - the only one for McPherson in the set - would be short-lived, as an Amy Horner kill sparked a 7-2 run that put the Bluejays ahead for good. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead, using a 6-2 run to cut an 18-12 deficit to just two points at 20-18. Tabor responded with back-to-back points, winning back the serve with a kill by Sydney Pietz, then taking a 22-18 lead after a Jessanna Nebel kill ended a marathon rally. Not to be outdone, Sombers had back-to-back kills to pull McPherson back within a pair, but the Bluejays rattled off the final three points to avoid the sweep.
McPherson scored the first four points in the fourth set and led 8-4 before Tabor rallied for six in a row to take a 10-8 lead. Undeterred, a Kite kill sparked an 8-3 run that put the Bulldogs up 16-13. The Bluejays took advantage of a pair of Bulldog attack errors and tied the score at 16-16 on another kill by Pietz. McPherson battled back, tallying four straight to move ahead, 20-16, but Tabor would not back down. A 5-1 Bluejay run tied the score at 23-23 before an attack error gave the Bulldogs match point at 24-23. A Marissa Graf kill erased that match point, but Riley Bradbury followed with a kill to give McPherson another match-point opportunity. This, too, would be scuttled as
Reven Bradbury (Highlands Ranch, Colo., Rock Canyon HS) served the next ball into the net. A Bulldog attack error followed to set Tabor up with a set point, but McPherson was able to fight that off with a kill by Kite. Another Kite kill followed to give the visitors their third match point and the Bulldogs made good on the opportunity as a dump shot by setter
Morgan Abbott (Decatur, Texas, Boyd HS) fell in for the game-ender.
In addition to Kite, Sombers and Wallace, Riley Bradbury added seven kills and a block assist for the Bulldogs.
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev., Hutchinson CC) just missed a double-double with nine digs and a match-high 27 assists.
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla., Paul J. Hagerty HS) added 13 assists, six digs and a pair of kills, while
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo., Fort Lupton HS) had five digs, four assists and a block assist.
Rianne Richard (Wichita, Kan., Neosho CC), filling in at libero for an under-the-weather Jamie Siess, had a team-high 19 digs.
Horner led Tabor with a 20-kill, 17-dig double-double. She also had a solo block and a block assist. Nebel added 12 kills, while Kendra Kroeker had eight. Ali Jost led all players with 23 digs, while Keeley Kroker and Haley Falk added nine apiece and Megan Voth had eight. Keeley Kroeker (27) and Voth (24) accounted for 51 of the Bluejays' 53 assists.
"We proved tonight that our first win over Tabor this season wasn't due solely to home-court advantage," said McPherson head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "We had positive contributions from throughout the lineup. Kite, Sombers and Wallace stepped up offensively with double-digit kill nights; Richard and Reven Bradbury stepped in for a sick teammate who usually plays libero; and freshmen (Morgan Abbott) picked up the final point because of a smart placement dump. I'm very proud of the depth that we have on our team, especially when we can miss a player and not be shaken."
The Bulldogs are idle until Wednesday, Oct. 25, when they host Friends University at the Sport Center. First serve for the varsity match is slated for 7 p.m. The Friends match will be the first of four for the week as McPherson follows that up Friday night by hosting Oklahoma Wesleyan in the home finale before heading across town on Saturday, Oct. 28, for a triangular with John Brown University and host Central Christian College.
