Barton Volleyball places 4th at Division I National Tournament; Team earns Sportsmanship Award with Reyes named All-Tourney #GoBarton

The fantastic season compiled by the Barton Community College volleyball team ended in a 4th place finish on the final day of the NJCAA Division I Tournament as Colby Community College took the 3rd place trophy in four sets (25-17, 22-25, 29-27, 25-18).

Exceeding their 6th seed, Barton completes the year 33-4 with Colby finishing at 29-5 after making their run from the 13th seeded team in the tournament and getting the final revenge to even the fellow Region 6 teams' season meetings at two victories each.

The 24th national tournament appearance ended in the program's best since its 2003 national title year and matched the 1998 team for the best other finish of the last eleven trips to the big stage.

In addition and not returning home from Clarksville, Tennessee, empty handed, second year Head Coach Megan Besecker's team was awarded the tournament's Sportsmanship Award winner along with sophomore Phoebe Reyes being named to the All-Tournament team.

Perhaps feeling the effects of having its 10-match win streak snapped the evening prior and having swept the Trojans two weeks prior for the Region 6/Plains District title, whatever the case Barton was out of sync all evening with Colby playing inspired as the aggressor. Compounding the problems, Barton's meager .132 efficiency was its lowest in nearly month while defensively struggled in allowing 18 demoralizing service aces.

Reyes led Barton with 13 total kills on a season high 50 swings (.120) with 3 blocks as Kassidy Nixon fell a kill shy of closing out her career with a 14th double-double by finishing with 9 kills and 14 digs.

Mya Thompson had 7 kills with 3 blocks, Anna Wierzbicki with 6 kills on a .250 attack, and Naya Danenberg recorded 3 kills and 7 digs.

Giving the Cougars a spark off the bench, Abigale Hardison played her most significant playing time since an early season injury to lead the team with a .286 efficiency stemming from 3 kills from seven swings and added six digs. Josie McLean also contributed along the backline with one dig.

Rounding out the sophomore dominated squad, Barton's pair of setters in the 6-2 offensive scheme was one dig shy of both finishing with a double-double. Elena Stankovic recorded her 4th of the year by putting up 22 assists and 16 digs as Maurin Reyes recorded 15 assists with 9 digs to just miss her season's 5th.

Freshman Aubrey Olander recorded 4 kills and 4 blocks with libero Mina Kaneko completing her initial collegiate season with 13 digs and a team high two aces.

In the victory the Trojans were at a .204 efficiency being led by Karlotta Kattai's 17 kills followed by Celia Mbaya's 13 kills.

RECAP
A sign of things to come was evident early when Colby served up four aces in their opening 11 points of the evening, three coming in succession within a 6-0 run in building an 11-4 lead.

Wierzbicki and Thompson leading three straight closed the gap but two Barton errors and three more Colby aces during a pair of 3-0 spurts doubled up the Cougars 18-9.

Taking four of the final five points of the opener, Colby carried the momentum into the second jumping out to a 3-1 lead.

Nixon's pair of attacks brought the Cougars back to tie it at five in what would be a set of runs by each team throughout the set.

Six straight by the Cougars swung ahead at 17-15, only to have the Trojans swing back with six of the next seven flipping the advantage to Colby at 21-18.

Barton turned to its reigning All-America recipient, P. Reyes putting down consecutive kills followed by a Kaneko ace tying it up at 21.

Following a Colby point, Barton took the final four points of its 7-1 closeout with Hardison's kill off the bench providing the go-ahead point.

With the match all square, Barton appeared to have all the momentum with P. Reyes leading by accounting for the first three points helping the Cougars get off to a 6-1 start.

Tied later at eleven, P. Reyes and Hardison helped put the Cougars back up by three with the advantage growing to 19-13 following a trio of points including M. Reyes' service ace.

Barton maintained a six-point lead at 21-15 in appearing to be on their way taking the match lead but Colby had other plans.

A Barton timeout following two straight Trojan tallies did little to slow the momentum as the Cougars' uncharacteristic problems returning a serve reared its ugly head again with Colby tacking on five additional points including three more aces grabbing a 22-21 lead.

Wierzbicki's kill tied it back up, Colby grabbed the next tally, then Thompson and Nixon kills gave Barton set point. The Cougars again had the set within its grasp twice more but couldn't close the deal as Mbaya's kill followed by a Cougar error and a service ace put Colby in the driver's seat of the match lead.

Having victory snatched away, the Cougars struggled to regroup in starting the fourth frame as Colby strung eight straight for a 10-4 lead.

Taking advantage of three Trojans miscues, Barton clawed back with five straight but were never able to tie the set up. Colby held Barton off to later record its final 18th ace among a mini 3-0 run resulting in a 16-11 lead.

Three straight Barton tallies capped by Wiezbicki's ace for just the squad's 5th of the match shrunk the deficit to two but consecutive errors deflated any continued comeback attempt.