The fifth-seeded Barton Community College volleyball team never fully settled into rhythm Wednesday evening at the Winfield Dunn Center, falling in straight sets to 12th-seeded Snow College (15-25, 22-25, 19-25) on the opening day of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Making the program's 25th national tournament appearance following a ten-day layoff, the Cougars slipped to 31–6 overall entering Thursday's 1:00 p.m. elimination matchup against 13th-seeded Eastern Arizona College. Snow improved to 15–14 and moves into Thursday's 7:00 p.m. winners-bracket match against 4th seed Northeastern Junior College.
After a sluggish start, Barton mounted strong pushes in the second and third frames but was repeatedly denied by Snow's 12 team blocks, which helped limit the Cougars to a season-low .080 attack percentage against the Badgers' efficient .276 output.
Stasa Stamenkovic posted a team-high 10 kills, though on just .097 hitting, while adding 10 digs for her 18th double-double of the year. Aubrey Olander contributed 9 kills on a team-best .263 efficiency, and Indigo Pruitt added 5 kills on .231, but Barton's normally productive middle duo was held to just three total blocks by Snow's steady first-contact and balanced attack.
Caroliny Cristiny also added 5 kills, with Brylynn Wicker and Paola Batista each supplying three kills. Defensively, Barton totaled just seven blocks and finished with 49 digs, led by Mina Kaneko's 13. Setters Mileah Neal and Ori Briger directed the offense with 16 and 13 assists, respectively, combining for 15 digs.
Set RecapsSnow controlled the opening frame from start to finish, scoring the first three points and stretching the margin to 8–4 and later 15–7 behind five early Barton attack errors. The Badgers' block dictated much of the set, forcing nine Cougar errors and holding Barton to .025 in a 25–15 result.
The second frame produced Barton's strongest surge of the evening. Trailing 12–7, the Cougars chipped away with kills from Stamenkovic, Cristiny, and Olander, eventually stringing together a five-point run to tie it at 18–18. A Neal service ace gave Barton its first lead at 19–18, with additional leads at 20–19 and 21–20. But after the final tie at 22–22, Snow closed the set with three straight points — two kills and one of its five service aces — to take a pivotal 2–0 match edge.
Facing another early deficit in set three, Barton again fought back, taking a 12–11 lead on consecutive kills from Batista and Stamenkovic. The final tie came at 13–13 before a Barton attack error, service error, and another miscue fueled a four-point Snow burst for a 17–13 advantage. The Cougars momentarily trimmed the gap on a Wicker kill and a Badger error, but the comeback stalled as three more attack errors helped Snow build separation. The Badgers closed the match on a 4–1 stretch to complete the sweep.