Waxahachie, Texas – The McPherson Bulldogs Volleyball team picked up two more wins on Friday when they traveled to the Lone Star State for the Texas Two Step Tournament hosted by Nelson University and Texas Wesleyan University. The Bulldogs opened the tournament with wins over Our Lady of the Lake and Nelson.
Game One: McPherson College vs Our Lady of the Lake University
Score: MC 3, OLLU 0
In McPherson’s first matchup of the weekend, the Saints started off fast, taking an early 9-3 lead and forcing a Bulldog timeout. McPherson came out of the timeout strong, rallying to take the lead and ultimately winning the set 25-18.
After the Bulldogs took control in the first set, they dominated the second as well, using a 15-4 run after dropping the first two points to claim a 25-14 win. McPherson then flew through the third set, winning 25-12.
Tori Buss led McPherson offensively with 14 kills, followed by Miriam Maino with 12 and Enya Fierens with nine. Fierens also led the Bulldogs with 5.5 blocks including four solo and three assisted. The Bulldogs out-hit the Saints .324 to -.029.
Game Two: McPherson College vs. Nelson University
Score: MC 3, NU 1
McPherson kept their momentum going into their second game of the day against Nelson. The Bulldogs won the first set 25-15 and took the second set 25-13 to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Lions turned things around in the third set, going on a 12-2 run to take a 16-6 lead. However, the Bulldogs fought their way back and got within one point, making the score 20-19. Nelson would ultimately fend off the comeback, finishing off the set and winning 25-20. McPherson came back strong in the fourth set, winning 25-15.
Offensively, the Bulldogs had four players with double-digit kills, including Tori Buss with 15, Havana Olander with 13, Lily Gray with 11 and Miriam Maino with 10. The Bulldogs hit .280 as a team, out-hitting the Lions’ .084. Isabella Calle racked up 27 digs for McPherson defensively.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow in Fort Worth, taking on Texas Wesleyan at 10:00 a.m. and Texas A&M Texarkana at 12:00 p.m. to continue the Texas Two Step Tournament.
