For the sixth time this season, Mina Kaneko of the 5th-ranked Barton Community College volleyball team has been named the KJCCC Division I Defensive Player of the Week.
The week eleven honor comes after Kaneko anchored Barton’s back row through a three-win conference stretch, helping the Cougars close the regular season on an 11-match win streak and secure their third straight KJCCC Division I regular-season championship.
Averaging 5.20 digs per set across 10 total sets, Kaneko also contributed eight service aces and seven assists to round out her week’s performance. She opened the stretch with a standout 24-dig, four-ace showing in a road win at Seward County, added 15 digs and two aces in a sweep of Garden City, and capped the regular season with 13 digs and two aces in a sweep of Cloud County.
Kaneko’s recognition marks the 12th conference or national weekly award earned by the Cougars this season. Her six weekly honors (Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 11) lead a decorated group that also includes Ori Briger‘s three (Weeks 2, 9, and 10), Stasa Stamenkovic‘s two (Weeks 4 and 7), and one apiece from middle blockers Aubrey Olander (Week 3) and Indigo Pruitt (Week 3).
Kaneko and the Cougars now turn their focus to postseason play, entering tonight’s Region 6/Plains District opener as the top seed with a 28-5 overall record. Barton hosts eighth seeded Pratt Community College (3-13, 12-24) at 6:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 5:00 p.m. semifinal at Fort Hays State University’s Gross Memorial Coliseum. The championship match is slated for Sunday at 2:00 p.m., with an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament on the line.
