Barton Volleyball wraps up non-conference schedule with 3-1 Nebraska weekend #GoBarton

The Barton Community College volleyball team wrapped up the non-conference portion of the schedule on Saturday going 3-1 this weekend participating in the McCook Classic held in McCook, Nebraska.

The results moves Barton's record to 9-2 on the year headed to Monday's home opener hosting Pratt Community College in a 6:30 p.m. first serve at the Barton Gym.

Barton went 1-1 in Friday's matches, sweeping Central Community College-Columbus (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) before capturing the first set against 12th ranked Eastern Wyoming College but falling in four sets (25-16, 15-25, 21-25, 22-25).

Saturday's action didn't start off the best as the Cougars dropped the opening set 25-22 against host McCook Community College but recovered to win the next three 25-23, 25-20, and 25-20. The Cougars concluded the weekend with a straight set victory (25-23, 25-19, 25-22) over Trinidad State Junior College.

Maria Santos led the Cougars' offensive production over the weekend, recording forty-two kills in the four matches for a .343 attack percentage. As a team the Cougars well below its .302 percentage, finishing at .255. Tasiah Nunnery had the lone double-double of the weekend, leading the Cougars against Eastern Wyoming with twelve kills and twelve digs. Carol Melo led the wall of denial front with thirteen blocks.

Central Recap
Barton broke away late in the opening set on a 3-0 spurt behind attacks from Melo and a pair from Santos in leading the team's .462 attack hammering down seven kills. Following a pair of Raider points the Cougars put it away by scoring the final three for the five-point win.

Trailing by one early in the second, Barton scored ten of the next eleven for an eight-point lead. Cooling off to a team .200 attack including five errors, Central crept back into the set, cutting the deficit to three, but Barton would keep out front taking the two set lead.

The Cougars heated back up in the third, attacking a .412 clip with just one error in racing out to a 10-3 lead before methodically building the lead and posting the final four points of the ten point match clincher.

Santos led the offense with fourteen kills on twenty-six swings with Mylena Testoni and Jo LaForce posting eight each. Isabella Guedes and Alyssa Herter put up twenty-three and fifteen assists respectively while Madison Armstrong and Testoni patrolled the back line for a combined twenty-five digs.

Eastern Wyoming recap
Racing out to 10-6 lead, Barton would later string a trio of points in opening up a seven-point margin. Another pair of three-pack of points grew the margin to nine as Barton would have seventeen kills in the frame on a .593 attack.

The Cougars cooled down and committed thirteen attack errors against the taller Lancers in dropping the next three sets.

A 7-1 start to the second set the tone for Eastern, later stretching the lead out with five straight to 18-8 in cruising to win.

A four point Eastern stretch gained early separation in the third with Barton never able to cut into the margin despite both teams struggling in their offensive attack.

Another good start for Eastern to begin the fourth put the Cougars in chase mode, drawing back to within 4-3 but was never able to tie the set. The Lancers took the next three points, in a back-and-forth battle into mid-frame. Consecutive points shaved off the six-point deficit to trail 20-16 with a trio of points starving off defeat cut it to 24-22 but it was too little too late in the upset bid of the 12th ranked Lancers.

Nunnery posted her second collegiate double double, leading Barton with twelve kills on a .367 attack while collecting twelve digs. Testoni and Hanna Miller each recorded eighteen digs each with Guedes leading the 6-2 offense with twenty-four assists as Herter put up twelve.

McCook Recap
In a back-and-forth opening set, the difference make came late enabling the host Indians to grab the match lead. McCook trailed 21-20 before a Barton service area helped start an Indian trio of points opening up a small but critical point advantage. The Cougars scored the next to cut it to one before McCook captured the set with the final two points.

Barton broke away early in the second, rattling six straight within a 9-1 stretch in building a 17-11 lead. McCook came firing back with three straight, and following a solo point by Barton, strung four more together slicing the gap to five. Following a Barton timeout and stopping the run with another solo point, McCook again countered with five straight in trailing by just one at 19-18. The Cougars held off the charge, not allowing McCook to tie it up the rest of the set in evening the match with the two point victory.

Attacking for its match high .350 clip in the third, Barton again built a nice lead of eight coming at 18-10 before McCook would coming roaring back. Outscoring the Cougars 6-1 to slice the deficit to three intercepted by two straight Barton points was countered with four straight in cutting the gap to 21-20. As in the second set, Barton held off the late charge a LaForce's kill sparked a 3-0 spurt leading to the win.

Looking for the match clincher in the fourth, a trio of Barton points increased a margin to five at 17-12. Similar to the previous two sets, McCook heated up late as five straight drew the Indians to 23-22 but a costly over hit resulting in a Santos two-handed dunk provided the pivotal point keeping Barton on top.

The Cougar offensive attack struck for a weekend low .212 despite Melo's .391 attack including ten kills and four blocks. Santos had thirteen kills on a .312 attack with setters Guedes and Herter putting up twenty-five and seventeen assists respectively. Testoni led the backline with twenty-four digs, to go along with three blocks. Miller had twenty-two digs with Nunnery adding fifteen.

Trinidad State Recap
Waiting for nearly eighty minutes past their scheduled start time, the Cougars jumped out to an early six point lead, later building it out to a 19-10 margin. Late let downs but holding off the opponent seemed to be a weekend theme for Barton as the Trojans crept back including three straight cutting it to 24-23 before Barton finished off the final two points.

Despite hitting at just .154 in the second, Barton's cruised through the slop for the six point win. Jumping out to a 6-1 lead, Barton methodically pushed the lead out to set point 24-15 before four straight by the Trojans temporarily halted the eventual win.

The final set began as more of the same, Barton jumping out to a 6-1 lead, building it out to an eleven point gap, then later having a 19-9 advantage and cruising. The scrappy and inspired Trojans had other plans, scoring nine straight in prompting a Barton timeout then tied it up at 19-each. A Trinidad service error halted the ten point unanswered but the Trojans scored the next two in taking the lead at 21-20. Barton countered with the next two points, and following the Trojans tying it up for the last time at 22, a service error put the ball back on the Cougars' side.

Santos led a balanced .239 offensive attack with six kills with Addison Crites, Testoni, and Melo adding five each. Guedes and Herter had fifteen and fourteen assists respectively, Jadyn Brown had fourteen digs with ten coming from Miller, and Melo put up five blocks in the match.