Volleyball | 11/22/2024 10:59:00 AM
McPHERSON, Kan. — The quest for a national championship will begin for the Bulldogs this Saturday at 1 p.m. as they host the first round of the NAIA tournament against the Columbia College Cougars.
A LOOK AT THE 'DOGS
The Bulldogs finished out the year with an incredible 28-6 with a 12-1 record in KCAC play, which placed them as the 16th ranked team in the final NAIA polls. The two losses came against the same squad as the Bulldogs dropped the conference opener to Oklahoma Wesleyan in five sets and suffered the same fate to the Eagles in the KCAC championship game.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are one of the best in the game. Led by their four KCAC first team attackers
Enya Fierens,
Hadley Waldren,
Daniela Jimenez, and
Brooke McHale, the Bulldogs finished the year with the 8th most kills in the nation and the 9th most kills per set. McPherson matched their ferocity on the attack with equal efficiency, recording a .275 attack percentage which was the 4th best in the country. The Bulldogs also finished in the top 10 in both total assists and assists per set thanks to some incredible setups from all KCAC third team member
Raegan Murphy, who finished in the top 10 in assists per set.
McPherson is no pushover defensively as they finished in the top five in total blocks in the KCAC and blocks per set. The Bulldogs also finished 2nd in the KCAC in total digs, which was led in large part by
Celestina Retumban who averaged 4.61 digs per set across her 115 total sets played.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Columbia College finished out their season at 23-12 and went 10-1 in AMC conference play. The lone defeats for the Cougars in conference play came to Missouri Baptist in their regular season matchup and the AMC conference championship game. The strong year saw the Cougars receiving votes in the final NAIA poll.
The Cougars, much like the Bulldogs, are led by their offense and their strong attackers. Columbia finished the year with the most kills in the NAIA with 1,815 total and averaged 12.7 kills per set. This comes in thanks to their trio of AMC all conference first team attackers Madeline Freeman, Allana Capella, and Mariana de Carvalho and their duo of second team attackers Agatha Emanuelle and Hannah Vogt. Columbia was also efficient, finishing 2nd in the AMC with a .214 attack percentage.
Columbia brings it defensively as well. Led by Clara Gower and her 471 digs, the Cougars finished in the top 25 in the NAIA in total digs and averaged 15.18 digs per set, which was the 2nd best in the AMC. The team also finished in the top five in the AMC in total blocks with 228 and blocks per set at 1.6.
A MATCHUP SO NICE, LET'S DO IT TWICE
This matchup between the Cougars and the Bulldogs is not the first time these two teams will lock horns and do battle on the court. These two squads first met up way back on September 12 in the first game of the Ottawa Invitational at Wilson Fieldhouse for both teams.
McPherson was able to take the first pair of sets to take command of the match, but the Cougars stormed back and took the match in what turned out to be a five set thriller. Now, the two teams lock horns again inside Holman Fieldhouse with the stakes raised to maximum levels.
HOME SWEET HOME
For just the second time in program history, Holman Fieldhouse will play host to the first round of the NAIA tournament. The last time came in 2018 when the Bulldogs played host to Texas Wesleyan University and were able to move on in the tournament after securing a thrilling victory in five sets. This year, much like that 2018 team that finished a perfect 13-0 inside Holman Fieldhouse, the Bulldogs thrived at home.
McPherson finished the year 9-1 at home, the lone loss coming to Nelson University in four sets on September 27. This loss served as the final one before the Bulldogs began their incredible 17 game win streak. At home, the Bulldogs secured four sweeps and only needed five sets a single time when they defeated Evangel on October 19.
COACHES CORNER-CORY CAHILL
In his 6th season at the helm of the Bulldogs,
Cory Cahill has taken the team to new heights. Finishing with both the best overall and best conference record in his tenure to go along with his 2nd appearance in the KCAC championship game, Cahill is excited to bring the NAIA tournament back to Holman Fieldhouse.
"We are excited to host Columbia, a quality program that has been a powerhouse for years in the NAIA, in our opening round match!" Cahill said. "They will be quite the test and we cannot wait to face it."
The road has been far from easy for the Bulldogs, who have faced a total of 12 teams that were either ranked or receiving votes. In the eyes of coach Cahill, this year's team has met the challenges and taken them head on. "Who we are as a program is what has shined through all season. The fight from this group is unmatched with any group that I have had in my coaching career."
Now, that road hits maximum difficulty. It's now win or go home against some of the nation's best teams. Coach Cahill has laid out one simple goal for his team and that is to continue being who they have been all year. "Our goal on Saturday will be to give our best, maintain who we are, and not lose sight of what's important." Coach Cahill said. "If we can continue to do that, we will be successful."
