OTTAWA, Kan. (MacBulldogs.com) — The McPherson College Bulldogs won the first two sets Thursday (Sep. 12) but ultimately fell to the No. 18-ranked Columbia College Cougars 3-2 at the Ottawa Invitational in Ottawa, Kan.
Hadley Waldren finished with a season-high 17 kills, on just 28 total attempts, and had four blocks. Laney Blake had 22 assists, and 14 digs.
The Bulldogs came out firing in the first two sets, recording 13 kills in the opener and 17 in the second set.
MC took the first set 25-18, but Columbia opened the second frame with an 8-4 lead. A kill by Zoe Fernandez followed by a pair of service aces by Katelyn Brogan pulled the Bulldogs within 11-10. From there, neither team was able to lead by more than two, until a pair of kills by Enya Fierens and Katie Warden gave MC the 27-25 win.
The Cougars opened an 18-12 lead in the third set, and seemed like they would cruise to a win, but the Bulldogs would not go quietly, scoring nine of the next 12 points to level the score 21-21. However, that’s when the Cougars showed why they were ranked No. 18, grabbing the 25-23 win and pulling within 2-1 in the overall match score.
In the fourth set, the Bulldogs were held to just a .031 attacking percentage en route to a 25-20 set win by the Cougars, forcing a deciding fifth frame.
MC scored the first point of the decider, but Columbia answered by rattling off five-straight to force a Bulldog timeout. Brooke McHale briefly halted the run, but three of the next four went to the Cougars. The Bulldogs fought back scoring three-straight points thanks to kills by Waldren and McHale, but ultimately, the Cougars came away with the 15-11 victory.
The Bulldogs will wrap up the Ottawa Invitational Friday (Sep. 13) with a pair of matches against Dickinson State and Hannibal-LaGrange. The first match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
