McPherson, Kan. – Back on their home court, the Bulldogs took on the Bethel College Threshers Wednesday Night. Bethel entered the contest riding a four-match win streak, while the Bulldogs looked to extend their own to 21 straight.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Score: MC 3, BC 1
Records: MC 23-1 (KCAC 6-0), BC 15-9 (5-2)
How it Happened
Set one opened with the Bulldogs surging to an 8-1 lead, forcing an early timeout from Bethel. McPherson maintain their momentum, stretching their advantage to 12-3 and prompting the Threshers to burn their second timeout. The Bulldogs continued to control the pace, pushing their lead to 11 before Bethel responded with a 5-0 run to close the gap to 19-13. McPherson quickly answered with a run of their own, scoring six of the final seven points to take the set 25-14, capped by a Bethel service error.
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into set two, jumping out to an early 4-1 lead. Bethel responded to even the score at 4-4, but McPherson regained control behind a pair of kills by
Katie Warden. The Bulldogs continued to put up points, building a 12-6 advantage and forcing the Threshers to call a timeout. Bethel scored the first two points out of the break, but McPherson answered with three straight. The teams traded points down the stretch before the Bulldogs closed out the set 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead.
Set three followed a familiar pattern, with McPherson jumping out to an early lead and forcing Bethel to call a quick timeout. The Threshers responded, rallying to tie the set at 8-8 before taking an 11-9 advantage that prompted a McPherson timeout. Bethel added two more points out of the break to extend their lead to 13-9, but the Bulldogs answered with a 5-0 run to move back in front 15-14. The Threshers countered once again, regaining momentum and holding on down the stretch to take the set 25-20 and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The roles were reversed to start set four, as Bethel took an early lead before McPherson rallied to take an 7-4 advantage. The teams traded points and brief leads before the Bulldogs pulled ahead with a 14-10 lead, forcing Bethel to spend a timeout. From there, McPherson never looked back, keeping the lead and closing out the set 25-19 behind a pair of kills from Warden to secure a 3-1 victory.
Warden led the Bulldogs at the net with 14 kills and five blocks, while
Brooke McHale added a season-high three blocks. On the defensive end,
Celestina Retumban held strong recording 21 digs and an ace to round out the effort.
Up Next
McPherson will travel to Winfield, Kansas on Saturday to take on Southwestern College for their first of two KCAC road matchups. First serve is set for 1:00 PM.
