SEWARD, Neb. (macbulldogs.com) — The McPherson College Bulldogs dropped their season opener Saturday (Aug. 19) 3-1 to fourth-ranked Concordia University in Seward, Neb.
Mistakes plagued McPherson early on, with eight attack errors in the opening set and nine offensive miscues in the second set leading to a 2-0 deficit. The Bulldogs trailed 20-13 in the second set but built momentum and closed the gap before falling 25-22.
They carried over that momentum into the third game, erasing a 4-0 hole to tie it at 9-9. From there, they scored ten of the next 13 points to take control. Zoe Fernandez finished off the set to give the Bulldogs the 25-20 win.
The fourth set was back-and-forth early until the Bulldogs went on a quick 4-1 burst to lead 13-10. But Concordia answered with five straight points, benefitting from a trio of attacking errors.
The Bulldogs knotted the score at 16-16, but from there fourth-ranked squad in the country flexed their muscles to finish off the match.
Fernandez led the Bulldogs with 11 kills, while Bridget McHugh added ten kills. Cynarah Rodriguez finished with a team-high 16 assists, and Raegan Murphy had 14 assists. Moriah Delgado anchored the defense with 23 digs.
Camryn Opfer had a game-best 15 kills for Concordia, and Kya Scott added ten kills.
The Bulldogs are back in action next weekend when they travel to Parkville, Mo., for the Park University Tournament. The team will take on St. Ambrose University on Friday (Aug. 25) before a twin-bill against Morningside and sixth-ranked Park University.
