Photo by Natalia Ahrens
Hutchinson, Kan. Â - The McPherson College volleyball team wrapped up the 2021 KCAC Fall Fling with a split of their two matches on Saturday. The Bulldogs fell in the opening match to College of St. Mary (Omaha, Neb.) 3-0, but bounced back in the final match of the tournament, defeating Mid-America Christian University (Moore, Okla.), 3-1.
Against the CSM Flames in Saturday's opener the Bulldogs struggled offensively. They hit just .089 with 35 kills on 112 swings with 25 errors. The opening set was a dog fight, but the Bulldogs came out on the short end, falling 29-27. They continued to battle in the second set, but continued to struggle. The Flames jumped out to a 2-0 lead taking set two, 25-22. In the third set, the Flames completed the sweep shutting down the Bulldogs 25-19.
Key Statistic
The key statistic in the match was the blocking by the Flames. They shut down the Bulldog offense at the net by recording 12 blocks while the Bulldogs managed just one stuff.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs tallied 29 assists against the Flames.
Defensively, they were credited with 40 digs.
Bulldog Leaders
Kills: Â Morgan Watson (13)
Digs: Bailey Avila (10)
Assists: Cynarah Rodriguez (13)
Aces: Â Alex Pak (3)
Blocks: Sydney Burton (1)
After a two hour break, the Bulldogs retook the court for their final match of the tournament, taking on the Evangels of MACU, who entered the match at 1-2. The Bulldogs found their groove early jumping out to a quick two sets to none lead. They were dominant in the opening set winning 25-13 then followed that up with a 25-21 victory in set two.
The Evangels tried to make things interesting by taking the third set by the same score of 25-21, but the Bulldogs responded with another stellar performance in set four, winning the set 25-19 to close out the match 3-1.
Key Statistic
The Bulldogs won 71% of the points played with 54 coming on kills, 9 on service aces, and 8 from defensive blocks.
By the Numbers
The Bulldogs hit .210 as a team, racking up 54 kills on 143 total attempts and 24 errors.
They assisted on 52 of their 54 kills.
Defensively, they finished with 67 digs and 8 blocks.
Bulldog Leaders
Kills:Â Sydney Burton (13)
Digs: Aidan Brown (17)
Assists: Cynarah Rodriguez (24)
Aces:Â Zoe Jerke (3)
Blocks: Sydney Burton (6)
Coach Quote
"Each game this weekend we took positive steps. We continue to build a solid foundation and it's exciting to see things starting to come together" - Cory Cahill
 Next Up
 The Bulldogs are scheduled to be back on the court next weekend down in San Antonio, Texas, playing four more games in a tournament hosted by Our Lady of the Lake University.
