Ottawa, Kan. – McPherson traveled to Ottawa, Kansas on Saturday for their fourth KCAC matchup, taking on the Ottawa University Braves. The Braves entered the contest on a two-match win streak, while the Bulldogs looked to build on their dominate start to the season and improve to 21-1.
The Basics
Location: Ottawa, Kansas
Score: MC 3, OU 0
Records: MC 21-1 (KCAC 4-0), OU 3-9 (KCAC 2-2)
How it Happened
The opening set saw both teams trade points early behind strong swings from their hitters. A Braves service error sparked a 4-0 McPherson run, giving the Bulldogs a 9-5 edge. Ottawa answered with two quick points to cut the deficit to 9-7, but another service error opened the door for McPherson to seize momentum. Led by two kills from
Brooke McHale, the Bulldogs rattled off five straight points to stretch the lead to seven. From there, McPherson controlled the pace cruising to a dominate 25-13 win in set one.
Set two opened with the Bulldogs jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the Braves quickly tied the set at 2-2. The teams continued to go back and forth early finding themselves locked at 6-6. A kill by
Enya Fierens started a 5-0 McPherson run, pushing the Bulldogs ahead 11-6. Ottawa battled back to close the gap at two, but McPherson once again found its rhythm, extending the lead to seven. A decisive kill from
Roxana Varela Parra sealed the set, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead in the match.
Ottawa opened set three with the first two points, but McPherson responded with three straight to take the lead. It was another back-and-forth contest early, before the Bulldogs took control jumping out to an 11-7 lead off of five quick points. From there, McPherson maintained control, stretching the lead to eight. Ottawa rallied late, scoring five straight points, but the Bulldogs held firm to close out the set 25-17 completing the sweep over the Braves in straight sets.
McHale paced the Bulldog offense with 12 kills, while Fierens led the way from the service line with four aces and added three blocks.
Celestina Retumban anchored the defense, collecting a team-high 17 digs.
Up Next
The Bulldogs return to Holman Fieldhouse on Saturday for a Top-10 showdown against No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan University. First serve is set for 2:00 PM.
