McPHERSON, Kan. (macbulldogs.com) ---
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo., Fort Lupton HS) had 10 kills and five blocks (one solo) to lead a balanced McPherson College attack to a 3-1 (14-25, 25-19, 29-27, 25-21) Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) volleyball victory over rival Tabor College Wednesday night at the Sport Center.
It is only the second win for McPherson (7-4, 3-2 KCAC) over Tabor (10-5, 5-1 KCAC) since at least 1996 and the first since picking up a 3-1 win on Nov. 1, 2010 in McPherson.
McPherson looked sluggish out of the gate, spotting their visitors from Hillsboro an 8-1 lead in the first set from which they were not able to recover. Tabor built the lead to 14-4 before the Bulldogs rallied for four points in a row. It would not be enough, though, as the Bluejays - who hit .276 in the set - scored five of the last six points to win the set by a 25-14 score. McPherson ended up with more errors (10) than kills (8) in the set for a -.054 attack percentage.
The Bulldogs responded in the second set, building an 11-6 lead and forcing a Tabor timeout after an Amy Horner attack was blocked by
Mady Woog (Highlands Ranch, Colo., Mountain Vista HS) and
Riley Bradbury (Highlands Ranch, Colo., Rock Canyon HS) to cap a 4-0 run. The Bluejays were able to cut the lead to just two at 13-11, but could get no closer. McPherson scored the next four points and later had a 6-1 run to push the lead to 22-15. Tabor countered with a 4-1 run, but another block by Woog and Seiler ended the rally and gave the Bulldogs set point. On the next serve, ended the set and tied the match after Bradbury put down another Tabor free ball off an assist from
Kaitlyn Heinis (Oviedo, Fla., Paul J. Hagerty HS).
Tabor led throughout most of the early part of the third set, using a 6-1 run to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 7-4 lead. McPherson took a short lead at 11-10 as another Bradbury kill capped a 4-0 run, but the Bluejays responded with five of the next six. The Bulldogs countered with a 5-1 run of their own but were never able to put the set completely out of reach. Trailing 21-19, Tabor used a 4-1 run to grab a 23-22 lead. Yet another Bradbury kill drew tied the set at 23 and the teams traded the next eight points with McPherson fighting off three Bluejay set points. The last came on a Horner attack error to tie the score at 27. Woog and Seiler combined for another block to give the Bulldogs the advantage at 28-27 and the hosts did not squander this opportunity as Seiler got the kill to end the set.
The Bluejays jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the fourth set, but the Bulldogs slowly chipped away at that advantage. Trailing 17-14, McPherson rattled off five straight points to take a 19-17 lead. After trading points moved the score to 21-20 in favor of McPherson, Tabor committed attack errors on three straight rallies to give the hosts match point at 24-20. The Bluejays were able to extend the match one more rally with a Horner kill, but
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo., Pinecreek HS) ended the match on the ensuing rally by slamming home a free ball for the kill.
Seiler was the only Bulldog in double-digits in kills. Bradbury just missed the mark with nine, while
Lexi Kite (Thornton, Colo., Prairie View HS) added eight and 12 digs. Sombers had five kills and five blocks (two solo), Woog had five kills and five block assists and
Bree Wallace (Wichita, Kan., East HS) added four kills and four block assists.
Heinis had 15 assists, six digs, a kill and an ace, while fellow setter
Morgan Little (Las Vegas, Nev., Hutchinson CC) finished with 18 assists, three kills and four digs.
Jamie Siess (Tecumseh, Kan., Shawnee Heights HS) held down the McPherson back line with a match-high 27 digs.
After the team's dismal first set, McPherson rebounded over the final three to finish with a .101 attack percentage.
Horner had 19 kills and 17 digs to lead Tabor, but the rest of the Bluejay offense was held relatively in check by the Bulldog defense. Jessica Nebel added eight kills, three digs and five blocks. Brooke Holloway added seven kills an Olivia Duerksen had just five kills but assisted on seven of Tabor's 12 total blocks.
Setters Megan Voth and Keeley Kroeker had 26 and 19 assists, respectively, while Ali Jost posted a team-high 25 digs.
"It's been nearly a decade since McPherson has beaten Tabor," remarked head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "They were receiving votes [in this week's NAIA Coaches Poll] and we played scared the first set. But, then we got mentally tough and competed. We were a well-balanced team with Jamie leading the back row in digs. I'm proud of the girls for taking what we learned against Saint Mary and Ottawa and applying it to Tabor. This week is full of tough matches and a true test to how we respond to every game. We hope to carry the momentum into the weekend."
The Bulldogs will practice Thursday before hitting the road this weekend for the first two of four consecutive away matches. McPherson travels to Salina on Friday night for a 7 p.m. match against Kansas Wesleyan University, then turns around and ventures to Wichita to face Friends University at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
