The Barton Community College volleyball team fell in four sets (20-25, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25) to national receiving votes Hutchinson Community College Monday evening inside the Barton Gym.
Having its' eight match win streak in the series snapped, the Cougars drop to 2-4 in KJCCC play and 13-4 on the season while the Blue Dragons move into a second place tie in the conference at 6-1 and 19-8 overall.
Barton will have a quick turnaround welcoming in Garden City Community College Wednesday night in a 6:30 p.m. opening serve from the Barton Gym.
Tasiah Nunnery posted the lone double-double of the evening consisting of 12 kills and 14 digs for a .174 hitting percentage. Nunnery also served up a season high five aces. Freshman setter Iris Oosterbaan had 43 assists and six digs. Hanna Miller led a trio of Cougars in double-digit digs with 27.
Barton hit .159 for the match on 49 kills, 170 attacks and 22 errors.
Hutchinson used a 5-0 run to gain an early 5-1 advantage. Following a pair of Jadyn Brown kills sprinkled between a Buse Kocakaya high riser, double assisted block by Molly Norris, and Oosterbaan pulled the Cougars within 9-8. The Dragons reeled off the next five to gain separation building up a 17-11 lead. A four pack of Blue Dragon errors mixed with a Nunnery kill and service ace brought Barton back within 17-16 before Hutchinson pulled away in the late stages scoring eight of the final 12 points taking the opening set 25-20.
In the second set, the Cougars would jump in front early as kills by Nunnery, Kocakaya and Jada Davis handed Barton an early 5-2 lead. Clinging to a 10-9 lead at the midway point, one of two Norris kills during a 5-0 run ballooned the lead to 15-9. Hutchinson would storm right back rattling nine of the next 12 points tying it at 18-18 before adding a 10th taking their first and only lead of the set at 19-18. The tide quickly swung in favor of the Cougars as a Nunnery kill, pair of Blue Dragon errors, Oosterbaan rise and shine and three Nunnery aces would cap a 7-0 close to the second set.
Trailing 7-3 in the third set, Barton would string five straight together to take their first lead at 8-7 succeeding a pair of Blue Dragon violations, Davis kills and Nunnery attack. Holding onto a 14-11 lead one of nine Cougar service errors on the evening activated a strand of eight straight for Hutchinson as the Blue Dragons took a 19-14 lead. The Cougars would create one final push as a Tatum Boettjer kill off the bench, Miller service ace, Nunnery kill and double assisted block teaming up with Davis trimmed the deficit to 20-19 before Hutchinson tallied five of the final six.
In the fourth Hutchinson rode the momentum early taking a 5-2 lead until the Cougars stormed back with seven of the next 10 including four straight happening on a Davis kill, Blue Dragon attack error, Nunnery service ace and Brown attack pushing Barton into the lead at 9-8. Matching points over the next five rallies, Hutchinson grasped control with a 7-0 stretch to lead 18-12. Barton pieced together one final comeback utilizing a 7-1 run with Nunnery and Darby Smith generating four of the seven points to pull within 23-22, but the Blue Dragons score two of the final three points to close out the match.