Bulldogs Fall in Five on the Road at OKWU

Photo by Jakob Komel

Bartlesville, Okla. – The McPherson College volleyball team suffered their first KCAC loss of the season, on the road Saturday at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The Bulldogs, hoping to find some redemption against the team that upset them in the KCAC tournament last spring, struggled to find their rhythm offensively, and ultimately fell to the Eagles in five sets.

The Bulldogs led the Eagles most of the way in the opening set of the match, but the Eagles rallied late to steal set one, 25-23. The Bulldogs came back in set two, winning by the same score to level the match at a set a piece.

In the third set the Bulldogs got off to a slow start, and the Eagles capitalized. They took an early lead and rode it to a 25-18 win over the Bulldogs. Facing elimination, the Bulldogs played with great energy in set four, and ran away with the set 25-17, to force a deciding fifth set.

In the fifth, the Eagles jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Bulldogs rallied and tied the set 8-8. Unfortunately, the Eagles went on a run and scored the final seven points of the set to win 15-8, finishing off the Bulldogs 3-2.

Key Statistic

Serve and serve receive were the Achilles heel for the Bulldogs. They ended up with five aces on the night, also had 12 service errors. While the Eagles had only a total of two aces, they served tough all night, keeping the Bulldogs off balance and out of system most of the match.

By the Numbers

It was an uncharacteristic night for the Bulldogs on the attack. They finished with a .157 attack percentage, their lowest in KCAC play. They had 53 kills on 191 swings and 23 errors.

They assisted on 49 of their 53 kills.

Defensively, they were credited with 62 digs and 5 blocks.

Bulldog Leaders

Kills: Katelyn Moore (19)

Digs: Aidan Brown, Bailey Avila (16)

Assists: Cynarah Rodriquez (46)

Aces: Morgan Watson (2)

Blocks: Sydney Burton (3)

Coach Quote

"Tonight we didn't play our best volleyball. We lost the serve and pass battle and that dictated the outcome. We will look to rebound on Wednesday." - Cory Cahill
 
Next Up
 
The Loss drops the Bulldogs to 10-6 on the year, and 6-1 in KCAC play. They will be back in action on Wednesday, playing their third road match in a row, when they head to Hillsboro, Kansas to take on the Tabor College Bluejays. First serve is slated for 7:00 pm.