The 8th ranked Barton Community College volleyball team came within a point of victory but fell short in a five-set conference thriller Wednesday night, dropping a 3-2 decision at 12th-ranked Colby Community College (26-24, 20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14).
Colby staved off match point and closed with three straight points to deny the Cougars, handing Barton its first league setback of the season. Barton slips to 4-1 in conference and 17-5 overall, while the Trojans remain unbeaten atop the standings at 6-0 and improve to 14-4 on the year.
The Cougars continue their three-match conference road stretch Saturday with a 4 p.m. first serve at Garden City Community College.
Barton hit .190 on the night, led by sophomore middle Aubrey Olander‘s .429 efficiency on 14 kills with four blocks. Caroliny Cristiny added 12 kills, while freshman outside hitter Stasa Stamenkovic tallied 13 kills and 15 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Indigo Pruitt chipped in four kills with a team-high seven blocks, Paola Batista contributed five blocks, and Brylynn Wicker added five kills and three blocks.
Libero Mina Kaneko anchored the back row with multiple highlight saves in racking up 26 digs.
Guiding the offense, Ori Briger distributed 23 assists with eight digs, while Mileah Neal recorded 17 assists and a career-high 21 digs to notch her second double-double of the season.
Set 1
Colby built an early three-point cushion before the Cougars found their groove to surge ahead 19-17. The Trojans answered with a 4-0 run to regain control, but Barton clawed back to tie at 23 and again at 24 before the home team prevailed, 26-24.
Set 2
Barton controlled much of the second frame, stretching the lead to nine on multiple occasions, the last at 17-8. Colby trimmed the margin with four straight before a Cougar response, then mounted a 7-1 rally to close within 23-20. A Pruitt/Wicker block halted the surge, and Barton sealed the final two points to even the match.
Set 3
The Trojans threatened to run away in the third, racing to an 11-4 lead, but Barton countered with six straight to close the gap. Another Cougar push narrowed it to 21-20, only for Colby to rattle off three straight and regain the match lead.
Set 4
A 7-2 spurt pushed Barton in front midway through the fourth, only to see Colby string together four straight to knot it at 15. Trading points from there, the Cougars used a decisive 3-0 run to create a 20-17 cushion and rode it out to force a fifth.
Set 5
Carrying momentum, Barton opened the decisive set with a 6-1 stretch for a 9-5 lead. Colby responded with five straight to surge in front, but the Cougars answered with four of their own to reclaim a 13-10 advantage. The Trojans again fought back, tying the set and staving off match point before closing with three straight for the 16-14 victory.
