Getting their first win of the season on Friday, the Barton Community College Volleyball team came up short for an upset victory in settling for a split of consecutive matches. The Cougars picked up their first victory of the season in dramatic fashion with a come-from-behind fifth set victory over the junior varsity squad from Friends University on Friday returning to fall in four sets Saturday to Division II No. 2 ranked Cowley College.
Barton appeared to be headed for a short night on Friday easily capturing the first set 25-12 only to have the Falcons respond with 25-22 and 26-24 victories to take a 2-1 match lead. The Cougars regrouped for a solid 25-18 fourth set then went on for a 15-10 win in the fifth.
Eighteen hours later the Cougars returned to the court looking to avenge a 3-1 loss to the Tigers in the Reiver Classis one week prior. Cowley controlled much of the first set but put the hammer on the Cougars in the latter half of the set closing out on a 14-3 run. Getting off to a much better start to the second set, Barton led early until a 7-3 run gave the Tigers a 14-13 lead. From there Cowley maintained the lead grabbing a two set lead in the match winning 25-21.
The Cougars wouldn't go down without a fight as Jordan Edelman and Kim Hockley each put down a kill breaking open a tight third set to build a 13-9 Barton lead. Barton increased the lead to five but Cowley responded with four straight to draw within 16-15. Four straight Barton points ballooned the lead to five then held on for 25-22 win.
Neither team could grab control in the fourth until the Tigers got separation with three straight points putting the Cougars on the short end of 20-17 deficit. From there Cowley kept Barton out of reach scoring five of the next seven points to end the match with a 25-19 score.
The Cougars will wrap up their four-game homestand on Wednesday, September 3, with a conference battle with Garden City Community College before embarking on a twenty-one day fourteen match streak away from the Barton Gym.