Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team was picked to finish second in the 2023 Jayhawk West championship chase, according to the league's annual preseason coaches' poll released on Thursday.
The predicted second-place finish is the highest in head coach Delice Downing's four seasons with the Blue Dragons. It's the highest predicted finish since 2018 when the Dragons were picked first.
Downing returns three starters and five players from last season's 26-12 team that advanced to the Region VI Tournament semifinals.
All-KJCCC outside hitter Taniya Golden is back after averaging .287 kills per set and hitting .227.
Middle blocker Anna Dean returns after a solid freshman season where she averaged 0.82 blocks and .343 hitting with 182 kills per set.
Also back is outside hitter Alejandra Briseno, who missed 2 1/2 weeks of her freshman season midway through 2022. Briseno hit .232 with 2.09 kills per set. She also averaged 0.29 service aces with her powerful jump serve.
Setter Giovanna Ravanhani also returns. She was the second setter in Hutchinson's 6-2 attack in 2022. Ravanhani averaged 3.44 set assists per match.
Middle Ashlyn Long averaged 0.64 block and 0.55 kills per set last season in limited duty.
Butler, the 2021 Region VI Tournament champion and 2022 Region VI runner-up was picked to win the 2023 Jayhawk Conference championship, according to the poll. Then it was Hutchinson, Seward County, Colby, Dodge City, Garden City, Cloud County, Barton and Pratt.
The Blue Dragons have two more preseason scrimmage dates before the regular season opens. Hutchinson will be at the Butler Preseason Classic on Saturday at El Dorado and then will play host to Central Christian, Bethel College and McPherson College in a preseason scrimmage on Tuesday beginning at Noon at the Sports Arena.
The Blue Dragons will open the 2023 season with four matches at the McCook Classic where Hutchinson will play McCook, Casper, Gillette and Northeastern Junior College.
The Dragons open at home with a triangular against the Bethel College JV and Kansas Wesleyan JV on August 23rd. Hutchinson will open Jayhawk West play with Dodge City on August 30 at the Sports Arena.