Cougar Volleyball falls in three to conference leader Colby

The nationally receiving votes Colby Community College volleyball team left no doubt Saturday night at the Barton Gym why the Trojans are unbeaten in conference play as they swept Barton Community College 25-17, 26-24, and 25-20.   The Cougars drop to 3-4 after the first half of  conference play and 6-14 overall while front runner Colby improves to 7-0 in conference and 14-4 overall.   The conference schedule doesn't get any easier as Barton will host its second consecutive team receiving votes in the national poll as the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons come to the Barton Gym for a 6:30 p.m. match.  Hutchinson got the best of the Cougars in the conference opener winning a tough three sets at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

Colby got out to a quick 7-2 start behind the powerful frontline of the Trojans. After a Barton timeout, the Cougars scrapped their way back to within three at 12-9. Colby responded with a 4-0 run prompting Barton to call its second time out of the set trailing 16-9. The Trojans later utilized a string of five straight to grab a commanding nine point lead enroute to a 25-17 win.

Despite trailing 6-3 early in the second, the Cougars ramped up the intensity in the second set surging to an 11-10 lead. Trading points, the Cougars got a little sloppy midway through the set allowing Colby to take a 17-14 lead. After a Barton timeout, the Cougars scored six of the next eight points to take its third lead of the set 20-19. Tied at 20, the teams traded two-point runs prompting Barton's second timeout of the set with the score tied again at 22.  Featuring eleven ties in the set, Colby broke the final tie with back-to-back kills to go up 2-0 in the match winning 26-24.

Barton carried all the momentum through the first half of the third set, racing out to a 16-11 lead.  After consecutive points and a Barton timeout, Colby closed out the 6-1 run tying the set at 17.  Benefitting by a Trojan service error, the Cougars' McKenzie Piland then put Barton up two on a solo block.  Colby responded with a 3-0 run to regain the lead at 20-19 and despite a Barton timeout, closed out the Cougars on a 5-1 streak within the 14-4 final run to end the match winning 25-20.