By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Following a 33-4 record and a fourth-place finish at the national tournament, the Barton Community College volleyball team was recognized during last week’s Barton Trustees study session. The trip to Clarksville, Tennessee last November for the NJCAA Tournament marked the 24th trip to nationals in program history, and the best finish since the Cougars won the championship in 2003.
Sophomore Phoebe Reyes, a two-time winner of the Jayhawk Conference player of the year award, comes from the Dominican Republic and has committed to play at the University of South Carolina next fall.
"In Great Bend, I always get to say hi to anyone whenever I go to Walmart," said Reyes. "I feel like it's great to have that experience. When I move to South Carolina, I won't get to have that experience. It's a bigger city and bigger school. Here in Great Bend, I feel like that's the best part of it. You get to know people. People will remember you as well as you will remember them."
Sophomore Mya Thompson, from Hutchinson, spoke about her time in Great Bend over the past two years.
"I don't think I realized how much I would end up loving Great Bend and Barton," said Thompson. "Just getting to build relationships with girls from all over the world as well as teammates from right around me. I think something that makes our program really special is the fact that we do keep a number of Kansas kids in the program and bring in kids from all over the globe."
Barton has a 58-10 record of the last two years with both seasons ending with conference championships.