McPherson, Kan. – McPherson welcomed the Sterling College Warriors to town for their conference opener. The Warriors looked to bounce back after a 3-1 loss to Kansas Wesleyan last week, while the Bulldogs looked to add on to their impressive 16-game win streak.
The Basics
Location: Holman Fieldhouse
Score: MC 3, SC 0
Records: MC 18-1 (KCAC 1-0), SC 9-4 (KCAC 0-2)
How it Happened
The Bulldogs came out firing in set one, jumping to a 9-2 lead that forced the Warriors to burn an early timeout. Out of the break, McPherson didn't let up, tacking on two more points to extend the margin to 11-2. Sterling mounted a brief rally, but it wasn't enough to derail the Bulldogs momentum as
Georgia Brell sealed the set victory with a kill.
Sterling flipped the script in the second set, building an early 4-1 lead. The Bulldogs quickly answered with a 6-0 run fueled by
Kaylee Stegora's block and two kills, surging ahead 8-5. The Warriors rallied back to even the score at 15-15, but the Bulldogs regained control with a three-point burst and never looked back, closing out the set 25-19.
McPherson wasted no time in set three, stringing together a 7-0 lead and forcing another early timeout from Sterling. The Warriors managed to answer with a few points, but continued struggles at the net helped the Bulldogs build an impressive 22-9 lead.
Katie Warden sealed the win for McPherson with her 10th kill of the night, ending the third set 25-11.
Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by
Brooke McHale with 11 digs; at the tape,
April Conilogue stood tall at the net with six blocks. On the offensive side,
Katie Warden paced McPherson with two blocks, 10 kills, and a highly-efficient .526 hitting percentage.
Up Next
The Bulldogs return to Holman Fieldhouse on Saturday to host the University of Saint Mary on Homecoming Weekend. Action gets underway at 6:00 PM.
