McPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson Bullpups hosted a pool in the AVCTL Preseason Tournament on Saturday at the Roundhouse. Against some tough competition, they finished the day 2-3 with a 4th Place finish.
The Bullpups started the round robin tournament against who would prove to be the best team in the tournament in Maize South. The Mavericks came in ranked second in the 5A preseason rankings from the Kansas Volleyball Association and they indeed presented a tough challenge, winning 25-19 and 25-13. They would go on to finish the day 5-0 and not drop a set in the process.
In the second match of the day, McPherson bounced back with a 25-20, 25-15 win over Goddard. 6A Derby was next, and while the Bullpups battled, they fell in the end 25-21 and 26-24.
The fourth match of the day was against rival Buhler, the only other 4A team at the event. The Bullpups controlled most of the match on their way to a 25-16, 25-16 victory.
The day concluded against Garden City, ranked #8 in 6A in the KVA preseason poll. The Buffaloes picked up a 25-14, 25-18 win over McPherson to finish the day 4-1 and in second place.
Despite facing tough competition, the Bullpups had some standout players. After tallying over 1,000 assists as a junior last season, senior setter Rylie Whitfield opened with 92 assists in the five matches combined. Harper Rierson led the team with 31 kills. Carmin Pavlovich had 16 and Piper Solofra added 15 on the day. Freshman Elles Pavlovich led the team with 36 digs and 12 service aces. Whitfield and Everlee Buchman each had nine aces on serve. Carmin Pavlovich added 32 digs and Whitfield had 20, while Solofra led the team with three blocks for the tournament.
Next up for McPherson is a trip to Augusta for an AVCTL Division III triangular against the Orioles and Buhler on Tuesday.
