Photo by Micah Gilbert
Hutchinson, Kan. – The McPherson College volleyball team kicked off their quest for a return trip to the NAIA National Tournament with a pair of victories on Friday in the KCAC Conference Tournament.
The Bulldogs opened up play as the 5
th seed, taking on the 12
th seeded York College Panthers in the round of 16. They needed five sets to defeat the Panthers, winning 19-25, 25-13, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9. The Bulldogs got off to a slow start, dropping the opening set, but rallied to dominate sets two and three. In the fourth set some sloppy play late, and what was perceived as a missed call by the officiating staff, derailed the Bulldogs setting up a decisive 5
th set.
The Bulldogs are no strangers to five set matches, coming into the tournament at 3-4 in matches that have gone the distance. After the Panthers seized the momentum in the 4
th set, the Bulldogs composed themselves and handled their business in the 5
th.
Offensively, the Mac ladies didn't swing all that well. They hit .166 as a team with 64 kills on 217 total attempts, but had 28 errors. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, their counterparts across the net were just a bit worse, with a hitting percentage of .155 from 56 kills on 193 swings and 26 errors.
Statistical Leaders:
Kills:
Riley Bradbury (Jr. Castle Rock, Colo.) and
Sydney Burton (Jr. Stillwell, Kan.) – 14
Aces:
Kaitlyn Heinis (Sr. Oviedo, Fla.) – 2
Blocks: Burton – 5
Digs:
Jamie Siess (Sr. Topeka, Kan.) – 27
Assists: Heinis – 30
In the quarterfinal match, the Bulldogs squared off once again against their former coach and the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The Coyotes played well in the final weeks of the regular season, and leapfrogged the Bulldogs in the conference standings to secure the 4
th seed and an opening round bye. The Bulldogs and Coyotes met back in mid-October in McPherson, on Homecoming, with Mac winning a five set thriller.
On Friday, the Bulldogs played a nearly flawless match, needing just three sets to secure a berth into the semifinals on Saturday. All three sets were extremely competitive, but the Bulldogs were able to prevail 27-25, 25-23, 26-24. In set three,
Alexandra Parish (So. Rogers, Ark.) rotated off, and Coach Cahill told her that the Coyotes were blocking her up the middle on her attacks nearly every time. He encouraged her to try and tip around the block instead of hitting through it. That advice paid off, because on the Bulldogs' second match point at 25-24, Heinis quick set Parish in the middle, and she tipped the ball softly to the right of the block and the Coyotes were unable to dig it up.
The Bulldogs were very efficient in their passing off of serve receive allowing the offense to stay in system and get into a good rhythm. They finished the match with 54 kills on 154 attempts with 17 errors for a .214 hitting percentage.
"Today was a great day for Bulldog Volleyball!" said Cahill. "We battled through a tough first match and were really challenged by a quality York Team. In the second match of the day we battled point for point with a talented KWU team and came out on top in a tight match. It was a great feeling and we hope to carry this momentum into tomorrow's semifinal!"
Statistical Leaders:
Kills: Bradbury – 13
Aces: Heinis, Siess,
Morgan Abbott (Jr. Decatur, Texas) – 1
Blocks: Burton, Parish – 2
Digs: Siess – 24
Assists: Heinis – 26
Now at 17-11 on the year, the Bulldogs are just two matches away from conference championship and a bid to the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament. They will be back in action on Saturday morning at 11:00 against the top seeded University of St. Mary Spires. The Spires won the regular season matchup, on their home floor, in five sets just a couple of weeks ago. Win and they advance to the championship game at 6 p.m.
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