Article by Quincy Williams
Photo by Micah Gilbert
McPherson, Kan. - The Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker to the Sterling College Warriors Saturday night 22-25,17-25, 25-22, 23-25.
The Bulldogs have been hit hard by the Injury bug as of late, so against the Warriors, they integrated players who hadn't seen much time this season into the lineup. The lineup changes seemed to effect the team chemistry, especially early in the match.
The Warriors got out to an extremely fast start in the first set but the Bulldogs managed to battle back and finish respectably. The Bulldogs were plagued by errors in the second set and couldn't seem to get a rhythm going. In the third the Bulldogs played beautifully, led by timely kills from Junior
Sydney Burton (Jr. Stillwell, Kan.). The Warriors again started fast in the fourth set but the Bulldogs were able to battle back and looked to seize momentum before ultimately faltering down the stretch.
Bulldog head coach,
Cory Cahill, summed up the night saying, "Tough night, but I am proud of the way we responded to all of the changes we have made. This group has faced a lot of adversity in the past week and we will continue to work to overcome it."
The loss moves the Bulldogs record to 12-10.
Riley Bradbury (Jr. Castle Rock, Colo. and Burton had great games at the net accounting for 16 and 15 kills respectively. The Bulldogs are again in action next Tuesday at the University of Saint Mary. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Leavenworth, Kansas.
Statistical leaders:
Assists: 17 --
Morgan Abbott (Jr. Decatur, TX)
Aces: 2 –
Riley Bradbury ;
Jules Yanez (Jr. Wichita, Ks)
Digs: 29 --
Jamie Siess (Sr. Topeka, KS)
Kills: 16- BradburyÂ
Â
Â
