Barton Volleyball releases challenging 2015 schedule

The Barton Community College volleyball team recently released their 2015 schedule including thirty-two matches with eleven dates at the friendly confines of the Barton Gym.

Four returning sophomores will be joined by ten incoming freshman as the Lady Cougars will be facing a tough 2015 campaign.  Competing in the always competitive Jayhawk Conference, the Lady Cougars will be facing five other teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule who were national tournament participants and another who finished in the final Top-20 poll.

Barton will begin the season August 21-22 in Lamar, Colorado, with a four-match weekend.  The Lady Cougars will then open the home and conference season the following Wednesday, August 26, taking on Garden City Community College followed by a three non-conference matches against KCAC junior varsity squads.

Outside of the conference schedule, Barton will have two additional weekend classics beginning with a September 11-12 trip to Sterling, Colorado.  Waiting on day two of the Pizza Hut Classic looms national qualifiers and traditional Division I volleyball powerhouses Western Nebraska Community College and Northwest College.  The Cougars of Western Nebraska finished No. 7 in the nation while Northwest, who will feature a returning first-team All-American, finished fourth last season at the national tournament.

Staying in-state for a September 25-26 classic hosted by Johnson County Community College, Barton will be taking on four 2014 nationally ranked Division II opponents.  The action begins with Des Moines Area Community College, a No. 10 ranked team who reached the national quarterfinals and return both a first and second team All-American selection.  The day will conclude with Central Community College-Columbus who despite its No. 2 national seeding, was upset in a five set quarterfinal match to the eventual champion.   Day two doesn't get any easier for the Lady Cougars squaring off with the 2014 top ranked team Parkland College coming up on the short end of a five setter for the national championship.  The challenging classic will wrap up with the 2014 No. 9 ranked team Kirkwood Community College.

The Lady Cougars will have a four match homestand in the first week of October to wrap up the last month of the regular season.  Following a trip to title challenger Colby Community College, the Lady Cougars will have their final home regular season match on Sophomore Night October 21 versus Pratt Community College.  Barton will then hit the road for the final two regular season matches traveling to the two teams expected to make a run for the conference championship in Hutchinson Community College and Seward County Community College.

Turning the page on the calendar, the Region VI Tournament will take place the first week of November concluding with a national tournament ticket match taking place on November 8 in the region championship.