McPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson College Bulldogs capped of Homecoming Weekend Saturday (Oct. 21) with a 3-2 upset win over No. 21-ranked Ottawa University inside the Sport Center.
Four Bulldogs finished with double-digit kills, led by Petra Fernandez with 18. Katelyn Moore added 13 kills, while Hadley Waldren finished with 12 kills and Zoe Fernandez had 10 kills.
The Bulldogs trailed in the first set 24-12, but nine straight points, including kills by Zoe Fernandez, Moore and Cynarah Rodriguez trimmed the deficit to 24-21. Ottawa would finish it off with a kill by Blythe Manson to take the first set 25-21.
In the second set, the Bulldogs benefited from errors early to grab a 5-1 lead, but the Braves would storm back tying it at 8-8. The Bulldogs took control midway through the set, using an 8-1 burst that included four kills by Petra Fernandez to lead 20-14. Katelyn Moore knotted the match score with a kill, giving the Bulldogs the 25-18 set win.
The Braves showed why they were ranked in the Top 25, winning set three 25-22, but again the Bulldogs had an answer sending the match to a fifth set with a 25-22 win of their own.
Waldren and Petra Fernandez gave the Bulldogs an early 6-3 edge to start the final game, but three straight points by the Braves leveled the score at 6-6. That's when Bridget McHugh took over with three straight kills then teamed up with Rodriguez for a block, forcing the Braves to take a timeout.
The Bulldogs would never look back in the fifth set, as kills by McHugh and Waldren put them on top 14-9. Waldren and Zoe Fernandez would finish it off, blocking an attack by Kira Cherry to give the Bulldogs their first win over Ottawa since January 30, 2021.
Rodriguez finished with a season-best 56 assists, while Moriah Delgado had a season-high 34 digs for the Bulldogs (16-7, 6-4 KCAC). Moore added 16 digs, while Petra Fernandez had 13 digs.
The Bulldogs are back in action next Saturday (Oct. 28) when they travel to Leavenworth, Kan. to take on the University of Saint Mary starting at 2:00 p.m.
