Cougars bounce back with straight set victory at Garden City #GoBarton

The Barton Community College volleyball team bounced back from a disappointing last outing to pick up a Monday evening sweep at Garden City Community College 25-22, 25-20, and 25-20.

The victory moves Barton back into a second place gridlock with 11th ranked Seward County Community College at 10-3, improving to 20-10 overall. Garden City suffers their fourth straight setback dropping to 1-12 in league and 8-22 on the season.

Barton has just three matches left on the regular season slate beginning Wednesday hosting Pratt Community College before wrapping up with a return trip to Pratt next Monday followed by a Wednesday, October 27, date at Hutchinson Community College. Match time for Wednesday's home regular season finale slated for 6:30 p.m. but will be preceded by sophomore recognition.

RECAP
Garden City led most of the first set, enjoying a three point early edge and again by two at 17-15. Tasiah Nunnery's third kill of the set ignited some late fire spurring a 4-0 run. Victoria Da Silva and Maria Santos teamed up for the denial wall, followed with a Santos attack and Mylena Testoni's kill put the Cougars up 19-17. Following a Garden City timeout, the Broncbusters rallied for the next points to tie it up but Testoni and Santos kills kept the Cougars in front. The Broncbusters managed to tie it again coming at 22 but a costly service error followed by a Testoni ace and Nunnery kill capped off the final three points.

Barton took the early aggressor to open the second frame, rolling out to a 4-0 lead behind Nunnery, Da Silva, and Testoni kills. Back came the Broncbusters taking 9-of-the-next-11 points to flip the script to a home 9-6 advantage. Garden City would maintain the margin at 12-9 until a Santos kill and consecutive Broncbuster attack error and net violation tied the set. The teams traded a couple of errors each through the next three points setting up the final tie at 14 before Testoni and Joelle LaForce consecutive attacks put Barton out in front for good. The Cougars would break open the set five points later behind a 5-0 run featuring a pair of Da Silva kills and a Santos attack stretching the margin to 22-17. From there the teams traded points with Santos' third kill of the set wrapping up the five point victory.

The Cougars appeared to be running away with the third set, outscoring the Broncbusters 6-1 highlighted by a 4-0 stretch in part to the defensive laid out dig and ensuing kill by Jadyn Brown then capped by a Santos kill on the next offensive possession. Garden City clawed back into the set closing to within one but a Nunnery kill followed by consecutive home team attack errors stretched Barton's lead back out to 11-7. Barton returned the favor with three errors allowing the set to tightened back up, then following a pair of Garden City errors, the Broncbusters would take five of the next six in claiming the lead at 15-14. The Cougars battled back behind three Brown kills sparking a 5-1 stretch to jump out in front as the teams would eventually later be tied twice more, the last coming at 20. Nunnery's kill and two Garden City errors ensued with Buse Kocakaya and another Nunnery kill clinched the 5-0 match close out.

STATS
Nunnery led Barton with 10 kills on the night's 25 swings, collecting 16 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. Da Silva had a career high 9 kills on 13 swings for a .692 attack as Testoni and Santos each finished with 8 kills and Brown with five.

Isabella Guedes chalked up her 10th double-double of the year, leading the 6-2 offense with 23 assists and 11 digs while Mya Maxwell helped contribute to the Cougars' .254 overall attack with 13 assists.

Hanna Miller led the backline with 19 kills, followed by Nunnery's 16 and Guedes' 11 with Testoni recording 10.