BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — The quest for a championship rolls on for the Bulldogs as they secured win number 17 in a row against the Evangel Valor, 3-1, on Friday (Nov. 15) and move on to the KCAC Championship game.
The Bulldogs took early command of set one, jumping out to a 4-1 lead, and maintained the momentum throughout the rest of the set. A kill by KCAC first-teamer Brook McHale gave MC an 11-6 lead and forced the Valor to call a timeout. Evangel's attempt to slow down the Bulldog offensive attack was futile and MC expanded the lead to 17-8. The Bulldogs kept control and took set one, 25-17.
Set two was nothing short of a thriller as neither team was able to create separation from the other. Down 15-13, the Valor scored six of the next eight rally points to take a 19-17 lead and force the Bulldogs to call a timeout. MC responded by scoring four of the next five rally points to retake the lead, 21-20, and force Evangel to call a timeout of their own. Evangel was able to pull away and tie the match up with a 25-23 set win.
With the game now tied at one set victory a piece, the Bulldogs responded by putting the hammer down. After going down 3-0 to start the set, MC kicked off a run of seven straight rally points to take the lead 7-3 and force Evangel to call a timeout. MC continued to push the pace, going on several other small runs to make it 17-10 and force another Volor timeout. A kill by
Zoe Fernandez gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 match lead with a 25-17 set win.
Now with a shot at clinching a spot in the title game, it was now or never for the Bulldogs in set four. The set was a near carbon copy of set two and both teams traded points and went on small runs to keep things close. Victory was in sight for MC as a kill by
Enya Fierens made it a 19-14 lead for the Bulldogs and forced Evangel to burn a timeout. Evangel came out and scored four consecutive rally points to make it 19-18. With no room for error, the Bulldogs went on one final run to win the set, 25-20, and secured their spot in the title game.
Daniela Jimenez led Mc with 15 kills while
Raegan Murphy and
Katelynn Brogan were spectacular at setting up the Bulldog attackers as they recorded 37 and 25 assists respectively.
McPherson will have a chance to redeem their lone loss in conference play as they will face off with top-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan tomorrow, November 15 for the championship. Start time is set for 1:00 p.m.
