The No. 9 ranked Barton Community College volleyball team put itself to the test against the nation’s elite over the weekend, battling through four matches at the Magic City Invitational hosted by Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida.
Facing three teams ranked inside the nation’s top six, Barton opened Friday with a hard-fought four-set loss to No. 2 Daytona State College (21-25, 30-32, 25-17, 27-29) before bouncing back to sweep Eastern Florida State College (25-21, 25-16, 25-21). The Cougars returned Saturday falling in four sets to No. 6 Florida SouthWestern State College (23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 16-25) before concluding the weekend with a three-set loss to top-ranked host Miami Dade College (20-25, 21-25, 15-25).
The weekend moves Barton to 8-3 on the season with all three losses coming against top-six opponents, as the Cougars now turn attention to Jayhawk Conference play. Barton opens the league slate with a pair of road matches in the western part of the state, first traveling Tuesday to Liberal for a 6:30 p.m. first serve at Seward County Community College with a quick turn-around trip on Wednesday for another 6:30 p.m. start at No. 18 Colby Community College.
Weekend Leaders
Making her Barton debut after joining the Cougars earlier in the week following international competition in her native France, All-America transfer Kiera Loe made an immediate impact in pacing the Barton attack with 53 kills across 14 sets, averaging 3.79 per set while adding five service aces. Loe reached double-figure kills in each of the first three matches, highlighted by 16-kill performances against both No. 2 Daytona State and No. 6 Florida SouthWestern.
Caroliny Cristiny followed with 37 kills and 32 digs across 12 sets, averaging 3.08 kills and 2.67 digs per set. Cristiny’s weekend was highlighted by a 20-kill, 13-dig double-double performance against No. 2 Daytona State, before adding 10 kills in Barton’s sweep of Eastern Florida State.
Brylynn Wicker provided Barton’s most efficient attack throughout the weekend, putting down 29 kills on .355 hitting with just seven errors on 62 swings. Wicker hit .300 or better in all four matches, including .385 against Eastern Florida State, .417 against No. 6 Florida SouthWestern and .353 against top-ranked Miami Dade.
Making her season debut following injury, sophomore setter Mileah Neal returned to help Barton transition back into its 6-2 offense, distributing 49 assists across 10 sets while adding 18 digs. Natalia Malinowska-Nowak handed out a team-high 78 assists, while Amanda Riepe led the back row with 49 digs and contributed a team-best six service aces.
Match Recaps
vs. No. 2 Daytona State: Barton had its opportunities in a tightly contested opener, with three of the four sets decided by four points or fewer and two extending beyond regulation. The Cougars held a 30-29 advantage in the marathon second before Daytona State scored the final three points for the 32-30 victory. Barton responded by pulling away from a 12-12 tie to take the third 25-17, then led 19-15 in the fourth before the Falcons rallied. The Cougars fought off match point and extended the frame to 27-27 before Daytona State scored the final two points to escape with the 29-27 victory.
Cristiny led the attack with 20 kills with 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season, while Loe made her Barton debut with 16 kills. Wicker put down a season-high 10 kills on .300 hitting, with Malinowska-Nowak tying her season high by distributing 44 assists.
vs. Eastern Florida State: Barton bounced back by controlling much of Friday’s second match in a straight-set victory. After taking the opener 25-21, the Cougars raced out to leads of 5-0, 10-2 and 16-5 in a dominant 25-16 second set. Barton carried the momentum into the third, turning an early 1-0 deficit into a 13-3 advantage before holding off the Titans 25-21 to complete the sweep.
Loe led a balanced attack with 13 kills, while Cristiny added 10 as Barton hit .330 for the match. Riepe anchored the back row with a career-high 19 digs, while Urazbakhtina delivered a career-best .583 attack percentage with seven kills on 12 errorless swings. Returning from injury, Neal made her season debut by distributing 17 assists with five digs.
vs. No. 6 Florida SouthWestern: Barton nearly stole the opening set of Saturday’s action, erasing a 20-16 deficit with a 7-1 run to grab a 23-21 lead before the Buccaneers answered with four straight points for the 25-23 victory. The Cougars responded by building a 16-11 second-set advantage and held off a late Florida SouthWestern charge for a 25-23 equalizer. The Buccaneers seized control from there, jumping ahead 8-3 in the third and 9-2 in the fourth on the way to 25-18 and 25-16 victories.
Loe provided the lone double-digit offensive production with 16 kills, as Barton struggled to a season-low .076 attack percentage with 30 errors on 119 swings. Wicker was efficient in limited opportunities, adding six kills on .417 hitting.
vs. No. 1 Miami Dade: Barton came out strong against the nation’s top-ranked team, leading by five points four different times in the opening set. The Cougars’ final five-point cushion came at 15-10 before Miami Dade began turning the momentum, using three consecutive points as part of an 8-1 stretch to flip the advantage. The Sharks went on to take the opener 25-20, then carried the momentum into 25-21 and 25-15 victories to complete the sweep.
Ana Fabiely Fachi provided the offensive highlight with a career-best seven kills on nine errorless swings for a blistering .778 attack percentage, while Wicker also put down seven kills on .353 hitting.
