Having lost consecutive five-set matches last week, the Barton Community College volleyball team will take any win it can earn as the Cougars defeated Dodge City Community College Monday night at the Barton Gym 25-19, 25-27, 25-19, 25-21. The Cougars hit a season low .124 efficiency in a win but countered with nineteen blocks and seventy-seven digs to snap the two-game losing streak. The victory, the ninth consecutive against the Conquistadors, improves the Cougars’ Jayhawk mark to 5-8 and 7-22 overall while keeping Dodge City winless in conference at 0-13 and 4-28 on the season.
Tahje Ochs led the attack with twelve kills and recorded her fifth double-double of the season as the sophomore from Larned also recorded eleven digs. The Cougars had four players knock down seven a piece as nine players recorded at least one kill.
For the third straight match the setter duo of Casey Friesen and Lakyn Rowden recorded double-double performances. Friesen put up 20 assists with 11 digs for her tenth double-double of the season while Rowden led the Cougars with 22 assists to go along with 12 digs. Mykela Riedl again led the team with a career high 30 digs, the eight time this season the sophomore from Hoisington has recorded twenty or more.
The last home match is drawing near for the sophomore group as Barton will conclude its home portion of the schedule on Friday in a 6:30 p.m. first serve match against Butler Community College. The Cougars, sixth in the conference standings, defeated the seventh place Grizzlies 3-2 earlier in the season in El Dorado. Butler, 3-9 in the Jayhawk and 10-18 overall, will have a Wednesday home match against Seward County Community College, before coming to Great Bend on Friday for the Cougars’ home finale.
