Earning their second consecutive straight set sweep, the Barton Community College volleyball team took care of Pratt Community College Wednesday night at the Barton Gym 25-14, 25-20, and 25-18.
The result keeps Barton in a second place tie of the conference standings at 11-3, improving to 21-10 overall while Pratt drops to 2-11 in league and 9-19 on the season.
Wrapping up the home regular season slate honoring its sophomores prior to the match, the Cougars go on the road for its final two games. Barton and Pratt tangle again next Monday on the Beavers' home court before the Cougars travel to Hutchinson next Wednesday to conclude the season at Hutchinson Community College. The Cougars will then turn its attention to defending its Region VI title, hosting a first round matchup on Tuesday, November 2nd. Match time for each of the above mentioned contests set for 6:30 p.m.
RECAP
Pratt's lone lead came on the night's opening point as Beaver errors and a Tasiah Nunnery service ace put Barton out front for good at 4-2. Jaden Boden gave the Cougars added early energy, getting the first of her three kills on the night spurring a trio of Barton points capped by the first of three Hanna Miller service aces increasing the margin to five. The Cougars ballooned the lead out to eight following a 4-0 stretch before later stringing another four points together on kills by Maria Santos, Jadyn Brown, and Addison Crites with another ace by Miller pushing the lead out to 24-12.
The second set stayed tight most of the frame, the Cougars breaking away from the seventh tie coming at 11-all in taking four of the next five points. Brown led charge with three kills in the stretch giving Barton a 15-12 lead. Pratt came firing back in taking the lead at 18-17 but after Mylena Testoni kill for the set's 11th tie, Boden's solo block followed by Santos' kill put the Cougars in front for good. The Beavers got the next point to slice the lead in half but Barton took five of the final six points, getting another Testoni kill and a solo wall of denial from Nunnery before Boden's attack put the Cougars up 2-0 in the match.
Trading the initial six points of the finale, Barton build up a three point lead then doubled up the Beavers 12-5 following Victoria Da Silva and Santos kills on either side of Isabella Guedes' ace. Pratt closed the gap to four until a pair of Santos kills followed by a Buse Kocakaya kill sparked four straight for a 17-9 lead. Following the Cougars winning the race to 20 and a nine point lead, the Beavers took seven of the next nine points slicing the margin to four but a service error and two Santos kills closed out the night.
STATS
Leading all fourteen players with court action, Santos led the balanced attacke with 12 kills coming on 24 swings. Brown and Testoni, the reigning conference and NJCAA defensive player of the week, each finished with 7 kills as Testoni led the team with a .538 attack on 13 swings. Nunnery had 4 kills while Addison Crites, Boden, Da Silva, and Kocakaya each recorded 3.
Guedes led the Cougar 6-2 offense' .327 attack for the night with her second straight and 11th double-double of the year, putting up 22 assists and 10 digs while Mya Maxwell had 14 assists and a service ace, one of 6 aces from the Cougars service line.
Miller led the backline with 21 digs, bringing her program third best career total to 1058. Crites led Barton five block night with two.
