Cougars prevail in fifth set classic over Hutchinson, keep pace in conference race #GoBarton

The Barton Community College volleyball team ran across the hottest team in the standings Thursday night at the Barton Gym, winning the final two sets including fighting off two match points behind a boisterous home crowd in prevailing 3-2 over Hutchinson Community College.

Each team won a set 27-25, the Blue Dragons in the first with Barton's coming in the fourth to force a decisive set. Following Barton's 25-18 win in the second, Hutchinson took the match lead again with a 26-24 third set victory. Going to a fifth set for the fourth time in the last five meetings, Barton jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in holding on for a 15-10 match clincher.

Barton improves to 14-3 on the season with the series season sweep and 6-1 in league play, trailing conference front running Seward County by two games in the win column. Receiving votes in the latest national poll, the loss snapped Hutchinson's eight match win streak in slipping to 7-3 in conference and 14-6 overall.

The Cougars have a short turnaround and tough stretch ahead beginning with a Saturday trip to El Dorado for a 2:30 p.m. match at Butler Community College before a pair of home contests Monday and Tuesday hosting Garden City and Independence, followed by a Thursday road trip to Pratt.

Two Cougars posted career high attack performances led by the 20 kills on 41 swings (.415) by Maria Santos while Jadyn Brown had a 10 kill night.

A familiar pair of Cougars put up double-double performances as Isabella Guedes posted her fifth of the season with a season high 35 assists in the Barton 6-2 offense while her defensive effort recorded 17 digs.

Reigning Co-Conference player of the week Mylena Testoni posted her team leading sixth double-double performance, as the Region's leading efficient attacker put down 13 kills on a .321 percentage. Testoni also collected 26 digs, joined by libero Hanna Miller for team high honors, while also serving up three of the Cougars' six service aces.

Tasiah Nunnery collected 20 digs while Alyssa Herter guided the second wave of offense with 21 assists.

Addison Crites had six of the Cougars' fifteen blocks including a pair of solo rejections.

Recap
Hutchinson took an early 9-4 lead before the Cougars grabbed five of the next six to climb within one. Joelle Laforce's kill began the stretch followed by a pair of Crites assisted blocks with Nunnery and Brown as a Laforce service ace prompted a Hutchinson timeout. The Blue Dragons responded with a pair of two-point stretches increasing the margin back to five only to have Testoni's pair of service aces help the Cougars tie it up at 17. Four straight Hutchinson points opened up another gap but Baton again came clawing back taking 5-of-6 tying it back up at 23-all. Trading points the next pair of possessions, two of Barton's ten errors in the set allowed the Blue Dragons the window they needed in taking the opener.

Second set action had Hutchinson out front at 8-6 and 11-8 before the tide turned. Santos's kill then assisted block with Crites began a three point spurt as the Cougars would go on a7-1 stretch to claim the lead at 15-12. Nursing a three point gap again at 17-14, Barton put Hutchinson in the tail lights with four straight in later tying the match at one apiece in closing out winning the last 3-of-4 points.

As they did all night, the teams battled point for point before Laforce's kill and Testoni's ace capped a three point spurt to widen the slim lead but Hutchinson took the next four to tie it up at 19. Trading two-pack of points before trading solo points, Barton had set point but following a Cougar timeout, the Blue Dragons grabbed the final three points in claiming a 2-1 match advantage.

Hutchinson had Barton on the ropes in the fourth set, leading 14-9 and later at 20-15 with a pair of match points coming later. Behind an energetic crowd including a host of student-athletes in support, a Testoni kill followed by consecutive Laforce kills turned the momentum to the Cougars. The teams traded the next three points as Hutchinson led 22-19 only to see Barton surge in front on four straight as Crites' led the defensive net play with two blocks. Following the next two points going to Hutchinson, the Blue Dragons had two match points, the first at 24-23 and again at 25-24. Crites' kill tied it back up with Santos' kill surging ahead as a Hutchinson attack error ended the frame with Barton's final three points forcing the decider.

A Crites and Santos block followed by a Testoni and Nunnery kill helped Barton claim an early 4-0 lead in the decisive set. The margin eventually grew to 10-5 on a pair of Santos kills on either side of Testoni's thirteenth kill. The Blue Dragons tried to fight back with three straight to close within two but the Cougars wouldn't allow the comeback as Brown's kill capped Barton's trio of points response. The teams traded the final points with Santos' 20th kill sealing the match.