Photo by Natalia Ahrens
McPherson, Kan. – The McPherson College volleyball team was dominant on Saturday against the Southwestern College Moundbuilders. Playing at home for just the second time this season, the Bulldogs put on a display, defeating the Builders in straight sets, 25-9, 25-11, 25-15.
The Bulldogs had it going early and often against the Builders, and much of their damage came on their serve. The Bulldogs tallied a total of 14 services aces, averaging just under five per set. Four of those aces came from Morgan Watson (Fr. Loveland, Colo.), whose vicious jump serve gave the Builders fits all afternoon.
On offense the Bulldogs hit .433 as a team with 44 kills on 79 attempts and just nine errors. They were led by the freshmen duo of Watson and Aidan Brown (Fr. Sterling, Ill.). Brown had the higher kill total with 13, but Watson had the higher attack percentage at .471. Watson finished with 10 kills on 17 swings and just 2 errors. The Bulldogs had assists on 38 of their 44 kills, and 31 of those assists were dished out by Cynarah Rodgiguez (Fr. Amarillo, Texas)
On defense, the Bulldogs collected 34 digs and three blocks. Riley Bradbury (Sr. Castle Rock, Colo.), led the team in digs with 12, and Brown along with Mady Woog (Sr. Highlands Ranch, Colo.) each assisted on two blocks.
The Bulldogs rolled the Builders in the first two sets, and took a commanding 2 sets to none lead. The knock on McPherson ladies this season is that they have struggled closing matches out. In the third set, the Bulldogs got down 8-3 early, and it looked like they might have another mental lapse. This time however, they got their focus back quickly and began chipping away at the Builder lead. Nine points later, they had caught the visitors and had tied the set at 10. From there they outscored the Builders 15 to five to complete the sweep.
Bulldog Head Coach Cory Cahill liked the maturity he saw from his young team today. He commented, "Today we focused on our team and our side of the court. We dictated the pace of the match, moved on after mistakes, and played the cleanest volleyball we have played all year. It was a great step, but there are many more steps to go. GO BULLDOGS!"
 With the win, the Bulldogs are now 7-4 overall, and 4-2 in the KCAC, which moves them into 3rd place in the conference standings. Next up is a home match next Friday at 5:00 pm against the Bethel College Threshers.
