McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College volleyball team closed out the home portion of their schedule with a pair of straight set victories against York College and Mount Marty College on senior day.
The Bulldogs opened the day by defeating the York College Panthers. The Panthers, who came into the match with only 2 wins in conference play, put up a fight in the first two sets. The Mac ladies squeaked out the opening set 25-22, then took set 2, by a little more comfortable margin 25-20. In the 3
rd set, the Bulldogs jumped all over the Panthers and never looked back, they completed the sweep by taking the final set 25-12.
Seniors
Lexi Kite (Thornton, Colo.) and
Leia Seiler (Fort Lupton, Colo.) combined for 27 of the Bulldogs' 20 kills. Kite finished with 16 kills, while Seiler added 11. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs had 62 defensive digs, and 9 blocks. Kite also led the defensive effort with 20 digs, while
Mady Woog (So. Highlands Ranch, Colo.), was a wall at the net with 5 assisted blocks and 2 solos.
The win over York put the Bulldogs at 27-1 overall, and helped them stay perfect in the KCAC at 10-0. After the match, the team honored five ladies, Kite, Seiler,
Devrie Sombers (Colorado Springs, Colo.),
Rianne Richard (Wichita, Kan.), and
Jessica Lane (Weatherford, Texs), who were playing in their final home match (unless they get to host a national playoff match in a few weeks) of their careers.
In the 3:00 match, the Panthers took on the Mount Marty College Lancers. The Panthers bounced back from their loss to the Bulldogs to defeat the Lancers 3-1. At the conclusion of the York Mount Marty match, the Mac ladies took the floor again, this time against the Lancers.
The 3-26 Lancers didn't have enough fire power to contend with the Bulldogs, and the home team took the match in straight sets, winning 26-19, 25-20, 25-16. The scores were not indicative of the Bulldogs' level of play as Coach Cleveland played people in different positions and used several of her bench players.
Kite remained on fire for the Bulldogs tallying 15 kills on 30 swings, and just 5 errors. She also did it on the defensive side of the ball, recording 9 digs in the match.
Reven Bradbury (So. Highlands Ranch, Colo.) suited up in the libero position, and led the team in defensive digs with 15. At the net, Sombers and
Alicia Hall (Jr. Aurora, Colo.) each had 3 assisted blocks while Seiler and
Alexandra Parish (Fr. Rogers, Ark.) each had 2.
"Two solid wins for our seniors today", said Cleveland. "They are big contributors to the fast turnaround to this program in the last 3 years. Kite, Sombers and Seiler witnessed being last in conference to being first. Richard and student assistant Lane transferred in right away to help compete at the top of the conference. They have worked so hard that they deserve our success more than anyone. They have put a lot of passion and dedication to our team culture and raising the talent in our gym. These seniors will be missed and we hope to leave them with the rewards of a conference championship and more! They are truly irreplaceable seniors and set the standard high for returners."
After Saturday, the Bulldogs are now 28-1 on the year. They will wrap up the regular season this week with a pair of KCAC matches on the road. On Tuesday, they will travel to Kansas City, Mo. To take on the Avila Eagles (9-22, 2-8 KCAC), and then finish up with another road trip on Saturday to Bartlesville, Okla. To play the OKWU Eagles (16-14, 3-7 KCAC). Tuesday's match with Avila is set to begin at 7:00 pm while Saturday's is slated for a 2:00 pm start.
