| 2003 Season
Schedule | Roster
| Gallery | Signings
All-KCAC & NAIA Honors | Weekly
KCAC Honors
2003 saw a major turnaround in the McPherson College volleyball program. Coming off 6-21 and 8-19 seasons, which placed the Lady Bulldogs 10th and 9th in the KCAC, coach Nathalea Stephenson took a squad of three seniors, a pair of juniors, and 14 freshmen, and came away with a 18-13 season and a 6th place KCAC finish. The 18 wins were the most by a McPherson College squad since 1985. The Lady Bulldogs 6th place finish also qualified them for the KCAC post-season tournament for the first time in school history.
After opening the newly renovated Sport Center with a 3-0 win over Haskell Indian Nations, the Bulldogs traveled to Sherman, Texas, to participate in the Austin College Invitational. McPherson went 2-2 against the NCAA schools, and came home believing they could play with anyone in the KCAC.
After dropping a 3-1 match at Sterling to open its conference schedule, McPherson won seven of its next nine matches to move to 10-5 overall, and 4-3 in the KCAC, midway through the season. With a win over Saint Mary to conclude the first round of KCAC play, the Bulldogs put together a six-match winning streak which was stopped in the finals of St. Louis College Pharmacy by NCAA D-III Westminster College.
The second round of KCAC matches saw McPherson avenge first round losses to Sterling and Friends. The win over Friends was especially sweet as it came on Faculty Appreciation Night, and knocked the Lady Falcons out of a first place tie in the KCAC race. But, the intensity of a long collegiate season took its toll on the young Lady Bulldogs down the stretch as they dropped six of their final seven matches, including a first round tournament loss at Friends.
Erica Alvarez was a unanimous first team All-KCAC selection in a vote by the conference’s coaches. Fellow senior Lisa Salazar was named to the honorable mention squad. Alvarez along with freshman Kendra Stephenson earned KCAC Player and Setter of the Week honors, respectively, during the season.
School records set during the season included, (1) most kills in a match, 19 by Alvarez; (2) most solo blocks in a match, 7 by Alvarez and Stephanie Slinkard; and (3) most digs in a match, 32 by Salazar.
|
