By TODD MOORE
Barton Sports Info
In its worst offensive efficiency of the season, the 8th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team overcame for a 3-1 victory Saturday holding off Garden City Community College's upset bid (25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20).
The victory keeps Barton tied atop the KJCCC standings, improving to 13-1 and 26-2 overall while Garden City slips to sixth place at 6-8 and 12-11 on the season.
Barton concludes its two-match homestand on Wednesday against Hutchinson in a 6:30 p.m. first serve with sophomore recognition following the conclusion. The Cougars will then close out the regular season Saturday, November 2, at Cloud County before attention to hosting at least a first round playoff match on November 6.
In an ironic statistical twist, the Cougars' worst two sets from an offensive efficiency standpoint resulted in the first and third frame victories while their most kills of 17 in the second set turned into a loss. Having twenty-six attack errors headed to the fourth, Barton closed the match with just three more miscues with an evening high .316 attack to finish at a season overall lowest .131 efficiency.
Posting her 11th double-double performance of the season, Kassidy Nixon led the Cougars with 14 kills on a .278 efficient evening while defensively chalking up 18 digs and serving up three service aces.
Mina Kaneko celebrated her birthday making diving plays across the court and solid libero play overall with a career high 28 digs and added one ace contributing to the Cougars' nine total.
Overcoming a rare off-night from the efficiency standpoint, Phoebe Reyes still reached double-digit kills for the 14th time this season putting down 11 with Anna Wierzbicki attacking the middle for 8 kills, 2 blocks, and 3 service aces.
Mya Thompson and Aubrey Olander each had 6 kills and 3 blocks as Naya Danenberg also recorded 6 kills along with 17 digs.
Joining Nixon in the double-double club, the tandem setters of Elena Stankovic and Maurin Reyes recorded each's second straight, stuffing the stat sheet of 20 assists and 10 digs for Stankovic's third overall while Reyes' 21 assists with 14 digs chalking up her 5th of the season
RECAP
Barton took an early 5-1 lead, working its way out to a six point advantage at 13-7 and again at 15-9. A pair of Garden City points curbed the momentum, but five straight points widened the gap in cruising on to an even greater 11 point margin at set point before Garden City briefly held off the loss with three straight.
Committing 10 attack errors in the first, the same rang true in the second. The Cougars found themselves starting at a 14-10 deficit but climbed back in front on a 5-0 run highlighted by a pair of P. Reyes attack at 16-15. Essentially trading points the rest of the way, Garden City broke away from the 9th tie by prevailed with the final two points to even the match.
Barton held the advantage for most of the third set until six straight put the visitors on top at 19-18. The Cougars fired back with the next two points but the feisty Broncbusters took the next three forcing Barton to use its final timeout trailing 22-20.
Garden City gave the Cougars new life out of the break committing three straight attack errors with Barton taking advantage tacking on two more points in a 5-0 closeout gaining the 2-1 match lead.
The Broncbusters played unraveled by the late set collapse, doubling up the Cougars 10-5 early in the fourth. A four-pack answer got Barton back in the match with Nixon's pair of kills highlighting a later three-pack of tallies resulting in a 13-12 Cougar lead.
Garden City took five of the next seven but the Cougars regrouped for a 5-0 spurt gaining the edge at 20-17. Exchanging tallies and then trading a pair of two straight stretches, Nixon's diving defensive effort resulting in a point increased the lead to three in a pivotal play on the night. Nixon then followed with a thunderous attack giving Barton match point with Thompson and Olander providing the final wall of denial ending the match.