Picking themselves off the floor after a dismal opening set Friday in El Dorado, the Barton Community College volleyball team came up short in its region title defense in falling to No. 14 Seward County Community College 25-13, 21-25, 21-25, 25-18, and 19-17 in the semifinals of the Region VI/Plains District Championship.

The loss concludes the 2021 campaign for the Cougars at 24-11 while the Saints advanced to Saturday's championship, falling 3-0 to host and No. 3 ranked Butler Community College to end the season at 23-10.

Despite the loss, a pair of added individual achievements leaving a mark on the program's history cast some sunshine on the season's accomplishments.  Early in the match All-American Mylena Testoni recorded the first of her 15 digs to join teammate Hanna Miller into the top four of the program's all-time dig leaders, just the fourth Cougar to do so in a two-year career.  Later in the match Tasiah Nunnery solidified her standing as her 10^th of 14 digs on the night bumped the Hays native into the 7^th best dig total in Barton history.

RECAP
The match itself didn't start out well as nothing went right for the Cougars, attacking on a negative -.080 clip with seven errors in suffering a dismal 25-13 defeat in the opener.  

Barton grabbed the first three points of the set from a Nunnery kill and a pair of Isabella Guedes aces but things started to unravel from there.  Seward County scored seven of the next eight, the lone Barton point coming on a Saint serving error.  Putting the Cougars in the taillights, the Saints buried Barton on a 10-0 run, briefly interrupted by Testoni's kill, before taking five of the next six for a commanding 22-8 lead. Switching to a 5-1 and making line-up changes bringing in freshman Jada Davis and Molly Norris, the Cougars gained a little momentum scoring four of the next five in reaching double figures making the score somewhat more respectable.

Barton trailed early in the second before a Norris-Davis block followed by a Testoni kill capped a 4-0 run to tie it at nine.  The teams traded leads through the mid-set as a four point spurt aided by two Barton errors put the Saints up 18-16. Norris and Davis combined for another block and a Miller ace and Testoni kill put Barton back on top 20-18.  The lead was short lived with Seward County taking the next three but it would be their final points of the set. Beginning with a Testoni kill, Davis took over from there with two solo blocks and a kill for the victory.

All square on the match count, the critical third set featured mini spurts of points and nine ties. Barton had a largest lead of four at 12-8 following a Victoria Da Silva kill and four Saints' errors with Seward County's largest lead coming early at 6-3.  Locked at 20-each, consecutive Testoni kills, another Guedes ace, and a blockade from Davis and Norris, the Cougars surged out to set point winning four of the last five.

The Saints controlled most of the fourth, breaking away from a 6-all score to take the next four points.  The lead hovered around that margin until an attack error put the Saints up 15-10.  Seward County returned the point on a block error then the Cougars cut the gap following Nunnery's kill and wall of denial constructed by Addison Crites and Guedes.  The two-point margin would be as close as Barton would be the rest of the set as the Saints put together three-packs of points twice in taking seven of nine points increasing the lead to 22-15. Testoni and Davis kills and another Guedes ace were too little too late as Seward County won three of the last four points in forcing the fifth set.

Much like the opening set, nothing was going right for Barton as a 5-0 Saint run built a 7-1 lead.  The Cougars came fighting back winning seven of the next eight behind Nunnery and Da Silva attacks, a Buse Kocakaya ace, and a defensive effort forcing three Saints' attacking errors.  A Barton service error gave the lead back with Nunnery's kill tying it back at nine.  Taking three of the next four to lead 12-10, Seward County appeared to be gaining the momentum it needed to close out but kills by Davis and Testoni on either side of a Saint error flipped Barton back on top at 13-12.  The lead was the last for the Cougars, Seward County took the next two for its first of five match points.  Kills by Kocakaya and two Nunnery kills spoiled the Saints' party but a middle attack found the court for the final kill of the evening dethroning the defending champions.

STATS
Nunnery and Testoni posted stat stuffing nights with Nunnery leading on 16 kills in adding 14 digs for her 15^th double-double of the year.  Testoni, the reigning Region VI Player of the Year, finished with 13 kills and 15 digs for her team leading 17 double-double. 

Da Silva led the middle attack with 7 kills with two solo of her four total blocks as the career highs of Davis and Norris produced 6 and 4 assisted blocks respectively.

Guedes served up five of Barton's seven aces on the night, added an assisted block, and put up 37 assists from the offensive side and 24 digs on the defensive side for her 14^th double-double of the year.

Miller led the squad with 30 digs, completing her two year career with the third most digs in Barton history with 1166 total.

Record Book Update – 2021 Season Complete
Hanna Miller: 

• 3^rd in single season digs at 642
• 3^rd in career digs at 1166, 51 from All-American Karina de Oliveira's 1217 total from the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Mylena Testoni:

• 8^th in single season digs with 540, one from Mykela Riedl's 541 total in the 2014 season
• 4^th in career digs with 1014, just fourth Cougar to surpass 1000 joining Miller's 1166, Karina de Oliveira's 1217, and Cristin Haines' program leading 1361 accomplished in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Tasiah Nunnery: 

• 8^th in career digs with 773, surpassed Giselle de Moura's 768 total from the 2010 and 2011 seasons.