Cougars can’t extinguish Blue Dragon fire, fall in three to No. 5 Hutchinson
The Barton Community College volleyball team was little resistance to the defending conference champions Hutchinson Community College as the No. 5 ranked Blue Dragons rolled to a three set sweep Wednesday night at the Barton Gym. Hutchinson used a couple of four-point stretches to capture the first set 25-12, a mid-set six-of-seven point stretch grabbing command for a 25-18 win, then ran away with the third 25-9 after rattling off a nine and then eight point streak. The loss drops Barton to 2-5 in conference play and tenth straight falling to 5-13 while the Blue Dragons win their 28th straight Jayhawk West contest improving to 7-0 and 14-1 overall.
The Barton Community College volleyball team was little resistance to the defending conference champions Hutchinson Community College as the No. 5 ranked Blue Dragons rolled to a three set sweep Wednesday night at the Barton Gym. Hutchinson used a couple of four-point stretches to capture the first set 25-12, a mid-set six-of-seven point stretch grabbing command for a 25-18 win, then ran away with the third 25-9 after rattling off a nine and then eight point streak. The loss drops Barton to 2-5 in conference play and tenth straight falling to 5-13 while the Blue Dragons win their 28th straight Jayhawk West contest improving to 7-0 and 14-1 overall.
The Cougars will step out of conference play for the weekend traveling to Overland Park, Kansas, for the Johnson County Challenge where they will take on four Division II nationally ranked opponents. Barton opens play Friday with No. 6 ranked Des Moines Area Community College at 3:00 p.m. followed with a 5:00 p.m. battle with No. 9 ranked Central Community College. Saturday doesn't get any easier as the Cougars begin the morning with top-ranked and undefeated Parkland College at 9:00 a.m. before wrapping up the weekend with an 11:00 a.m. match versus No. 11 Kirkwood Community College.
Olivia Naccarato led the Cougars getting seven of Barton's seventeen kills on the night with Mallory McQueen setting fifteen of them. Lydia Konrade led with nine of the thirty Barton digs while Nathalia Gouveia scooped eight while also leading with a .188 attack on five kills.