The No. 14-ranked Barton Community College volleyball team dug deep Wednesday evening at Fleske Fieldhouse, erasing a two-set deficit to pull off a thrilling reverse sweep of Butler Community College (21-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-19, 15-7) in the opening round of the Region 6/District Tournament.
Facing elimination after dropping the opening two frames, the Cougars regrouped behind a career-high-tying 27 kills from Kiera Loe and a strong relief performance from setter Natalia Nowak, winning the final three sets to secure their seventh consecutive victory over the Grizzlies.
Third-seeded Barton improves to 23-9 overall, advancing to its fourth consecutive Region 6 semifinal appearance. The Cougars will face second-seeded and No. 11-ranked Colby Community College (24-5) Saturday in Dodge City at 7:30 p.m. in a rematch of last season’s championship contest.
The Trojans faced a similar challenge Wednesday on their home floor in northwest Kansas, overcoming a two-set deficit to complete its reverse sweep of seventh-seeded Cloud County, which concludes its season at 11-15. Butler finishes the year at 11-19.
In other region action, top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Dodge City (27-5) overcame a surprising second-set loss to Garden City before dominating the remaining action in a four-set victory. The Conquistadors advance to Saturday’s 5:00 p.m. semifinal on their home floor against fourth-seeded Hutchinson (19-13), which overcame a split of the opening two sets to defeat fifth-seeded Seward County in four.
By the Numbers
Barton produced 66 kills on .243 hitting, committing 25 attack errors across 169 swings. The Cougars distributed 62 assists, collected 69 digs and delivered seven service aces while totaling eight team blocks.
Loe powered the comeback with a career-high-tying 27 kills, matching her previous best established against Butler in the teams’ Oct. 17 meeting. The performance marked Loe’s seventh match of the season eclipsing 20 kills, while her 14 digs secured her third double-double of the year. The sophomore also added a service ace and solo block, extending her streak to 11 consecutive matches with at least 14 kills.
Irmak Navruz delivered a career-high 16 kills on .297 hitting, marking her fourth double-digit kill performance of the season. Mariam Urazbakhtina followed with 11 kills on .276 hitting for her 10th double-digit outing, having established her career high of 18 kills against Butler in the teams’ previous meeting. The trio combined for 54 of Barton’s 66 kills.
After Mileah Neal distributed 12 assists in the opening set, Nowak took over the setting duties for the final four frames, directing the Cougar comeback with 37 assists, seven digs, three service aces, two kills and two block assists. Nowak’s 37 assists marked her fourth-highest total of the season, trailing a pair of 44-assist performances and a 43-assist outing earlier in the year.
The performance marked a return to a familiar role for Nowak, who earned KJCCC Setter of the Week honors during the opening week of the season while directing the offense during Neal’s absence due to injury. The two later shared setting responsibilities before Barton transitioned to a 5-1 system with Neal midway through the season.
Defensively, Amanda Riepe matched Loe with 14 digs, while Jaden Katsis added nine and Hotone Tarui contributed eight. Paola Batista anchored the front line with two solo blocks and two block assists, while Brylynn Wicker chipped in five kills and three block assists.
Barton saved its most efficient offensive performance for the fourth set, putting down 15 kills against just three errors on .375 hitting before closing the deciding frame with a convincing eight-point victory.
Set-by-Set Recap
First Set: Barton held the early advantage through much of the opening frame before Butler rattled off six consecutive points to surge ahead 16-13.
The teams traded the next eight points before the Cougars began finding their rhythm, stringing together three straight to pull even at 20.
Butler answered with consecutive points and, following a Barton tally, claimed the final three to secure the 25-21 opening-set victory.
Second Set: Barton regrouped and came out firing, scoring the opening three points before answering a Butler tally with another three-point run to build a 6-1 advantage.
The Cougars later strung together four straight to stretch the margin to eight at 12-4, maintaining that cushion on two additional occasions before the Grizzlies began mounting their comeback.
Butler rattled off five unanswered points to close within 14-11 and remained within striking distance before a late 4-1 stretch pulled the Grizzlies even at 23.
Barton claimed the next point to earn set point at 24-23, but Butler responded with three consecutive tallies to steal the frame 26-24 and take a commanding two-set match advantage.
Third Set: With their season hanging in the balance, the Cougars answered an exchange of the opening four points with five straight, highlighted by a pair of Loe kills and a Nowak service ace.
Barton maintained its advantage, leading 13-8 before the teams traded the next 14 points. The Cougars then strung together three unanswered to build a 22-16 cushion.
Butler refused to go quietly, claiming four of the next five points to trim the deficit to 23-20. Barton answered with a point to reach set point, but the Grizzlies fought off two opportunities before the Cougars finally delivered the finishing blow for a 25-22 victory to stay alive.
Fourth Set: Much like the previous frame, Barton seized early control, answering Butler’s opening point with five straight to build a 5-1 advantage.
The Grizzlies gradually chipped away, closing within 10-8 before the Cougars responded with a four-point surge to stretch the margin to six.
Following an exchange of the next six points, Butler strung together three straight to pull within 17-14, but Barton answered by claiming four of the next five to regain a commanding 21-15 advantage.
The Cougars maintained control down the stretch, securing the 25-19 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
Fifth Set: With momentum firmly on their side, the Cougars battled through an exchange of the opening six points before breaking free with four consecutive tallies to build a 7-3 advantage and force an early Butler timeout.
The Grizzlies claimed the first point out of the break, but Barton responded emphatically with six unanswered, extending its overall surge to 10-1 and building a commanding 13-4 lead.
Butler made one final push with three straight points before a service error gave Barton match point. Nowak and Wicker then combined for the match-clinching block, completing the 15-7 victory and sending the Cougars into the Region 6 semifinals.
