The 12th ranked Barton Community College Volleyball team looked to end its Arizona slide on Thursday, opening up the Dalton Overstreet Invitational but fell 3-0 to Eastern Arizona College (25-17, 25-17, and 28-26) in Prescott, Arizona.
The Gila Monsters controlled the first set, leading by seven at the mid-point before rolling on to the eight point win.
Barton trailed in early in the second frame by six before slicing the gap in half at 17-14. Eastern Arizona held off the charge scoring six of the next seven points as a trading jabs the rest of the set put Barton in the 2-0 match lead.
Switching from its 6-2 system to a 5-1 system while inserting the second wave of Cougars, Barton battled the Gila Monsters with neither side gaining more than a three-point lead. Late in the set Eastern Arizona appeared to be putting the match away but a trio of Cougar points suddenly gave Barton set point at 24-23. Trading the next four points, Eastern Arizona finally capitalized in stringing a pair of points to complete the sweep.
Next up is a 5:00 p.m. match against the host and 16th ranked Yavapai College.