The No. 12 Barton Community College volleyball team found a way Wednesday night, grinding past Cloud County Community College in straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 25-11) inside the Arley Bryant Gymnasium in Concordia.
With the victory, the Cougars conclude the first path through the rugged Jayhawk at 6-1, moving to 19-5 overall. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds fall to 0-7 in league action and 5-17 on the season. Barton now shifts its attention to Saturday's long awaited home opener, hosting Hutchinson Community College in a 6:00 p.m. first serve at the Barton Gym.
Balanced production fueled the Cougars effort, led by Stasa Stamenkovic's match high 10 kills on a .318 attack percentage. The freshman also added seven digs and a service ace. Caroliny Cristiny matched the output with 10 kills, hitting .250 with a block assist. Indigo Pruitt was sharp at the net with seven kills on a blistering .583 efficiency along with three block assists.
Aubrey Olander added in six kills while leading the defense at the net with five blocks, including two solo denials. Brylynn Wicker contributed three kills and three block assists, while Paola Batista chipped in one kill and two block assists.
Directing the offense, Ori Briger handed out 16 distributions and served up three aces, while Janka Tolnai added eight assists. Mileah Neal contributed with six helpers in her lone set played.
Reigning conference and national defensive player of the week Mina Kaneko once again directed the back row with a match high 18 digs while also serving up a pair of service aces.