The 12th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team opened its 2021 season impressively this weekend in Trinidad, Colorado, sweeping its three matches of the SOCO Classic.
The Cougars played two of the matches on Friday, dispatching Casper College 25-13, 25-18, and 25-18 before taking down host Trinidad Junior College in the evening match 25-13, 25-22, and 25-18. Barton wrapped up the opening weekend with its third sweep in defeating Otero Junior College 25-9, 25-19, and 25-16.
Barton's next match comes Wednesday in Concordia for a 6:30 p.m. conference opener at Cloud County Community College. The Cougars will then head to Norfolk, Nebraska, for the weekend before heading out to Arizona for matches throughout the week to close out the month of August and bring in September.
Despite eighteen errors and a weekend low .234 offensive attack in the season debut, Barton still rolled over Casper impressively in the early Friday morning match. Mylena Testoni led Barton with 14 kills on a .345 attack while picking up her first of three double-doubles on the weekend with 19 digs. Maria Santos put down 9 kills as the two setter system of Isabella Guedes and Mya Maxwell put up 24 and 15 assists respectively. Libero Hanna Miller recorded 17 digs as Tasiah Nunnery had 16 digs to go along with six kills.
Taking on the host Trojans in the evening contest, the Cougars clicked on all cylinders as fourteen players combined for a .455 attack with just six errors in 88 swings, served up six aces, and defensively erected the wall of denial for twelve blocks. Testoni's .739 attack on 17 kills with no errors on 23 swings paced the offense with Santos reaching double-figures with ten and Nunnery adding eight. Defensively Testoni and Nunnery each chalked up twelve digs each as Beatriz Rissi earned a team high three blocks. Guedes and Maxwell combined for 43 assists dishing out 27 and 16 respectively in Barton's 6-2 offense.
Wrapping up the trip with a mid-afternoon contest on Saturday, fifteen Cougars spent time on the court for a combined .308 attack and seventeen blocks. Testoni recorded her third straight double-double to open the season as the 1st team NJCAA All-American concluded the weekend with 12 kills on a .667 attack and 12 digs. Santos was next with six kills with Joelle LaForce and Rissi each had four as eleven Cougars recorded at least one kill. Twelve Cougars also recorded at least one dig with Miller joining Testoni for the team high 12 digs. Guedes put up 22 of the team's 34 assists with Maxwell recording the other twelve.