Photo by Natalia Ahrens
Sterling, Kan. – After two weeks off, the McPherson College volleyball team was back on the hardwood, opening up KCAC play on the road in Sterling, Kansas, in a triangular with the Friends University Falcons, and the host school, the Sterling College Warriors.
In the opening match with The Falcons, the Bulldogs looked like they hadn't had any time off. They came out firing on all cylinders, sweeping the Falcons in straight sets, 25-9, 25-13, 25-18. The Bulldog offense combined for 35 kills on 102 attempts with 15 attacking errors, giving them a .196 attack percentage. Leading the offense was Aidan Brown (Fr. Sterling, Ill.), who hit .314, tallying 14 kills on 35 swings with only three errors. Emily Terry (Fr. Springfield, Mo.) and Alex Pak (Fr. Pullyaup, Wash.) were the most efficient of the Bulldog hitters. Both hit .429 with Terry notching eight kills on 14 attempts and two errors, and Pak was four of seven with just a single error.
Defensively the Bradbury twins Reven and Riley (Sr. Castle Rock, Colo.), led the team in digs. Riley led the team with 11, and her sister was right behind her with ten. At the net, Sydney Burton (Sr. Stillwell, Kan.) led the Bulldogs with three assisted blocks.
In the nightcap against the Warriors, the Bulldogs picked up right where they left off in the first match. They dominated the Warriors, taking set 1, 25-13. In the second set, the Bulldogs came out flat, and the Warriors took advantage, winning the set 25-15. Sterling seized control of the match winning a tough third set 27-25. Facing elimination, the Bulldogs rallied and found their form again in the fourth. They won the set handily 25-14, setting up a fifth and deciding set. The Bulldogs took an early lead in the fifth, but the Warriors were the team able to finish. The Bulldogs led 10-8, but were outscored by the Warriors 7 to 2 down the stretch to fall in the set 15-12 and in the match 3-2.
The offense wasn't as efficient as in the opener, finishing with a .097 hitting percentage. Brown continued to have the hot hand, picking up 17 more kills on 50 attempts. Morgan Watson (Fr. Loveland, Colo.) just missed out on double figure kills, finishing with nine. On defense, Reven Bradbury led the team in digs with 20. Brown and Riley Bradbury were also in double figures with 16 and 12 respectively. Burton was tops again in blocks with two assisted, and three of the solo variety.
Coach Cahill summed up the KCAC opener saying, "We saw some big improvements tonight, but also some big setbacks. I'm excited to see what Bulldog volleyball will be as we get further into our season."
With the split, the Bulldogs are now 4-3 on the season, and 1-1 in the KCAC. They will be back on the court next Friday when they host the University of Science and Arts Oklahoma at the Sport Center. First serve is set for 6:00 pm.
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