Hutchinson CC Sports Information
GREAT BEND – Minus two starters because of injuries, the Hutchinson Community College volleyball pushed the No. 12-ranked Barton Cougars to the brink on Saturday night at the newly renovated Barton Gym.
Playing their second Jayhawk Conference five-set match of the week, the Blue Dragons fell 18-25, 25-21, 27-29, 26-24, 15-8 as Barton completed the regular-season sweep of Hutchinson. The Dragons are now 11-13 overall and 3-6 in the KJCCC. Barton improved to 20-5 overall and 7-1 in the league. The Blue Dragons play host to Cloud County on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.
Sophomore Alondra Villanueva led the Blue Dragons with her 11th double-double of the season, going for 18 kills on 63 attacks and a career-best 28 digs.
Sophomore Jaylynn McNeill hit a conference-high .290 on 31 attacks, finishing with 13 kills.
Sophomore Kierny Follmer posted a career-high 12 kills on 29 swings for a .379 hitting percentage.
The Blue Dragons were out-hit .229-.175. Barton had 74 kills to Hutchinson's 59. Barton out-blocked the Dragons 10-9 and out-aced Hutchinson 7-1.
Freshman setter Alexandra Garcia finished with a season-high 48 assists and posted her third double-double of the season with 10 digs. She also had three blocks.
Follmer and freshman Mattie Galliher tied with six block assists each to lead the Dragons in that category.
Stasa Stamenkovic had a match-high 27 kills on 65 attacks to led Barton. Carolini Cristiny had 17 kills and Aubrey Olander had 11 kills and six blocks for the Cougars.
After dropping the first set, Villanueva led a second-set charge by the Blue Dragons with six kills and .333 hitting. The Dragons had a pair of blocks late in the set, including a stuff by Galliher on set point to win 25-21.
The Dragons led 22-21 in the third set, but faced and fought off two set points against. Barton outlasted the Dragons 29-27 in the third to take a 2-1 match lead.
Hutchinson raced out to an 8-0 lead to start the fourth set. The lead was 19-14 after a Galliher/Garcia double block and Villanueva kill. Barton went on a 5-1 run to pull within 20-19, but Follmer played a tip deep that landed on the back line for a kill and a 26-24 set win by Hutchinson to knot the match.
Barton led 8-7 at the fifth-set crossover and closed out the Dragons with a match-clinching 7-1 run.
The Dragons are now 2-4 in five-set matches this season.