Stamenkovic and Cartisser earn top awards, Barton Volleyball lands six on All-KJCCC/Region 6 post-season selection list #GoBarton

Six members of the Barton Community College volleyball team were recognized on the 2025 All-KJCCC/Region 6 postseason list.

Highlighted by Freshman of the Year Stasa Stamenkovic and Coach of the Year Jim Cartisser, the duo was joined on the First Team by repeat selections Mina Kaneko and Aubrey Olander, while sophomore transfer Ori Briger and freshmen Caroliny Cristiny and Indigo Pruitt rounded out Barton's representation on the Second Team.

The honors reflect a dominant stretch run for the Cougars, who closed the regular season on a ten-match winning streak to secure their third straight KJCCC title at 15–1, followed by a second consecutive Region 6/Plains District championship and the program's 25th NJCAA Division I National Tournament appearance, finishing the campaign at 31–7.

Complete list of All-KJCCC/Region 6 selections

Head Coach Jim Cartissser – first season – Coach of the Year
Blending a seasoned core with a talented freshman class, Head Coach Jim Cartisser guided the Cougars to another season of national-caliber consistency and exceeded preseason expectations with a group that not only repeated as conference and region champions but also returned to the national stage.

Barton's challenging non-conference slate—which included four losses to nationally ranked opponents—sharpened the group for Jayhawk play, where the Cougars swept nine matches, won all four of their four-set outings, and suffered just one setback: a 16–14 fifth-set battle at nationally ranked Colby. From there, Barton surged to ten straight victories to close the regular season before winning three more en route to the Region/District title.

For Cartisser, national appearances are nothing new. His previous tenure at the College of Southern Idaho included multiple national tournament runs, four national championships, and a national runner-up finish, adding to a decorated coaching résumé now further elevated at Barton.

Stasa Stamenkovic – Freshman of the Year and First Team
OH, Freshman - Bor, Serbia

Stamenkovic delivered a remarkable rookie campaign, totaling 408 kills (3.55/set) on .273 hitting while adding 389 digs, 54 blocks, and 34 aces with 15 double-doubles. Her breakout performances included 27 kills vs Hutchinson (10/04), 24 kills and 20 digs at Garden City (9/27), and a career-best 22 digs at Seward (10/27). She also fired a standout .600 hitting performance (19-1-30) against Butler (10/15).

A two-time KJCCC Player of the Week, Stamenkovic continued to shine in postseason play with 3.16 kills/set, recording four double-doubles in five matches—including a 19-kill, 17-dig effort on .313 hitting in the national tournament finale.

Mina Kaneko – First Team
Libero, Sophomore – Tokyo, Japan

For the second consecutive season, Kaneko anchored Barton's back row with one of the KJCCC's premier defensive efforts, finishing with 574 digs (4.99/set) and four matches of 30 or more digs. Her season-high 34 digs came in the five-set win over Hutchinson (10/04), followed by a 29-dig outing against No. 11 NMMI (8/30). She added 123 assists and 33 aces, including four at Seward (10/27).

In postseason play, the five-time KJCCC and week five NJCAA Defensive Player of the Week, averaged 4.05 digs/set to help push the Cougars back to nationals. Kaneko closed the year with 651 total digs, the 5th-most in program history with her two-year total of 1,108 digs ranking 5th all-time at Barton.

Aubrey Olander – First Team
Middle Hitter, Sophomore – Little River, Kansas

With Kaneko anchoring the backline, Olander controlled the net with another elite campaign, posting 237 kills on .333 hitting while ranking among national leaders with 147 total blocks (1.28/set). The week-three KJCCC Defensive Player of the Week tallied 11 blocks vs Frank Phillips (9/05), 10 blocks against No. 11 NMMI (8/30), and nine matches hitting above .500 including a dominant .900 (9-0-10) performance vs Pratt (10/22).

A 13-kill on a .520 efficiency, along with 10 blocks for her second double-double of the year was a big reason for the Cougars' second consecutive region title and advancement to her second national appearance.

Olander ended her Barton career as the program's all-time leader in both single-season (148) and career assisted blocks (260), and her 295 career total blocks rank third in Barton history.

Ori Briger – Second Team
Setter, Transfer Sophomore – Tel Aviv, Israel

In her lone season as a Cougar, Briger directed Barton's 6-2 system with precision, distributing 649 assists (5.74/set) while adding 258 digs and a team-leading 60 aces. She posted several marquee performances, including 40 assists vs Hutchinson (10/04), 31 assists and three aces at Garden City (9/27), and a six-ace outburst against New Mexico JC (9/06).

A three-time KJCCC Setter of the Week, Briger concluded her Barton career with 749 assists (5.67/set) and nearly eight digs per match, recording 11 double-doubles, including a 24-assist, 12-dig performance in the season finale.

Caroliny Cristiny – Second Team
Outside Hitter, Freshman – Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cristiny became an immediate offensive producer in her freshman season, finishing the regular season with 305 kills (2.65/set), 189 digs, and 36 blocks. She opened the year with multiple standout performances, including 16 kills on .429 against No. 13 Eastern Wyoming (8/22), a career-high 18 kills vs No. 14 Eastern Arizona (8/29), and 17 kills in the five-set win over Hutchinson (10/04).

Adding double-digit kills through Barton's three region playoff games, Cristiny eclipsed the 10-plus kill threshold in 19 of the Cougars' 38 matches to finish with 351 total (2.62/set) on a .202 efficiency.

Indigo Pruitt – Second Team
Middle Blocker, Freshman – Eudora, Kansas

Pruitt produced the KJCCC's top hitting efficiencies, hitting .400 with 221 kills (1.92/set) while adding 105 total blocks (0.91/set). Her big-match performances included 15 kills on .600 vs New Mexico JC (9/13), 12 kills on .571 with a career-high eight blocks vs No. 14 NMMI (9/05), and 10 kills on career high .833 against Cloud County (11/01).

Earning the week three KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week, the freshman increased her offensive production in post-season play averaging 2.05 kills per set on a .522 efficiency with 16 blocks in the five matches, concluding her inaugural season with 260 kills (1.94/set) and 121 blocks (.90/set)