HUTCHINSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) --- The McPherson College volleyball team swept both Bethany College and Oklahoma Wesleyan University on the opening day of pool play at the 2017 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Volleyball Tournament at Hutchinson Sports Arena.
McPherson def. Bethany, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-13)
The Bulldogs posted a .262 attack percentage with 41 kills in the three-set win over the Swedes.
Lexi Kite (Thornton, Colo., Prairie View HS) led all players with 15 kills and 12 digs, picking up her 1,000th career kill early in the first set.
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo., Fort Lupton HS) added eight kills and four blocks (one solo), while
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan., East HS) had seven kills and three block assists.
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo., Pinecreek HS) chipped in with six kills and three block assists.
Jamie Siess (Tecumseh, Kan., Shawnee Heights HS) posted a match-high 22 digs, while
Rianne Richard (Wichita, Kan., Neosho CC) had 10 and
Mady Woog (Highlands Ranch, Colo., Mountain Vista HS) added four blocks.
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla., Paul J. Hagerty HS) accounted for 19 of McPherson's 38 assists, while
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla., Paul J. Hagerty HS) had 16.
Marissa Charley led Bethany with eight kills and a .238 attack percentage.
McPherson def. Oklahoma Wesleyan, 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-17)
McPherson's defense was stout in the second match as well, holding Oklahoma Wesleyan to an .028 attack percentage and just 27 kills. The Bulldogs also racked up seven blocks.
Kite fell one dig shy of another double-double with 13 kills and nine digs. Seiler added eight kills, three block assists and a pair of digs. Sombers had seven kills, while Wallace and
Riley Bradbury (Highlands Ranch, Colo., Rock Canyon HS) added six kills apiece.
Siess had a team-high 14 digs defensively and a pair of aces, while Richard posted seven digs. Woog was dominant in the middle with six blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs.
Little had a match-high 20 assists and six digs, while Heinis added 16 assists, five digs and an ace.
Chloe Davis led OKWU with seven kills. Andrea Novakovic posted a match-high 19 digs, while Sydney Garis had 24 assists.
Following the final match of the night, Kite, Siess, Bradbury and Sombers were recognized as the 2017 all-KCAC volleyball teams were announced. In addition, Siess was recognized as McPherson's Volleyball Champion of Character.
With 384 kills, Kite now ranks second on McPherson's single-season kills list behind the 399 posted by Erica Alvarez in 2003. She also ranks third on McPherson's career kills list behind Alvarez (1,196; 2000-03) and Jessica Miller (1,143; 2004-07).
"Confidence and belief was our theme going into postseason," said head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "I saw a new level of this team where we were very selfless. It was fun to see them encourage and push each other, taking a lot of that responsibility off me as a coach. They are truly playing for each other. Hopefully, our two sweeps today gives us momentum to fight Ottawa for first in our pool tomorrow morning. I'm proud of how far our team has gotten and we are not finished yet! "
The Bulldogs (22-10) close out pool play at 11 a.m. Friday morning with a match against top-seeded Ottawa University at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The Braves survived a five-setter with Oklahoma Wesleyan, then defeated Bethany in four sets. Both teams are guaranteed to advance out of their pool into Saturday's semifinal round. Ottawa won both regular-season match-ups in five sets.
