Sterling, KS – The McPherson College volleyball team keeps on rolling. On Wednesday this week, they defeated the Bethany College Swedes in straight sets, to move to 23-1 on the year, and setting a new record for wins in program history. On Saturday, they extended their win total to 25, with a pair of wins at a triangular hosted by Sterling College.
The Bulldogs opened the day with a straight set win over the host school, the Sterling College Warriors. They dominated the opening set, winning easily 25-13. The Warriors regrouped and put up a fight in the second set. The Bulldogs led most of the set, until late in the set when the Warriors went on a 5-1 run to go from two points down to two points up. The Warriors held one set point at 24-23, but the Bulldogs were able to save it. That save gave the Bulldogs momentum, and they won the next two points to take the set 26-24.
In the third set, the Mac ladies got back on track early in the set. They led by five points at several points in the set. In the end, they extended their lead to six points, winning 25-19. Offensively the Bulldogs hit .244, recording 42 kills on 119 attack attempts and 13 errors.
Leia Seiler (Sr. Fort Lupton, Colo.), had another strong match for the Bulldogs, she had a hitting percentage of .320, notching double digit kills, with 11.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs collectively recorded 59 defensive digs, and tallied 8 blocks, 3 solo and 5 assisted.
Jamie Siess (Jr. Tecumseh, Kan.), the Bulldog Libero, was the Bulldogs' digs leader, with 20. At the net, the Bulldogs were led by
Mady Woog (Jr. Wichita, Kan.), who had 3 assisted blocks, and 2 of the solo variety.
The win extended the Bulldogs' current winning streak to 12 games, and keeps them perfect in the KCAC at 8-0.
Right after their match with the Warriors, the Bulldogs took the floor again, this time against the Cottey College Comets. The Comets were overmatched from the onset, and the Bulldogs won easily in straight sets, 25-14, 25-13, 25-9. With the competition level what it was, the Bulldog coaching staff was able to rest some of their usual starters, and get some of their bench players some more time on the floor.
Alicia Hall (Jr. Aurora, Colo.), started out the match as an outside hitter, but later in the match was moved to the setter position. As an OH, she led the team with 8 kills on 18 swings, and as the setter, she led the team with 12 assists. Seiler had another big match as a hitter. Against the Comets, she recorded another 8 kills on 12 attempts, and had zero errors in the match.
On defense, the Bulldogs had 54 more defensive digs, led by
Riley Bradbury (Jr. Highlands Ranch, Colo.), who tallied 13. Parish Alexandra (Fr. Rogers, Ark.), led the Bulldogs defensive effort at the net, getting her hands on 4 assisted blocks.
"We found a good rhythm today and flowed very well as a team", commented Bulldog head coach
Jessica Cleveland. "We were balanced across the board spreading out the offense and confident any hitter could put the ball down. All players were impact players on offense and defense." She continued by commenting on the Bulldogs' performance against Cottey, saying "We carried the momentum Against Cottey, and we were able to play our subs and watch them confidently excel as well. Today was just two solid team sweeps as we go into the last set of conference matches."
With the wins, the Bulldogs are now 25-1 on the year. They will be back in action on Wednesday evening when they host the Saint Mary University Spires. First serve at the Sport Center is slated for 7:00 pm.
