By Hutchinson CC Sports Information
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Pushed to a deuce set in the opening set of its Blue Dragon triangular match with the Kansas Wesleyan University Junior Varsity, the No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College volleyball team got the offense rolling in a second-straight sweep on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.
The Blue Dragons defeated the Coyotes 25-23, 25-11, 25-16 to complete the triangular 2-0. Hutchinson improved to 4-2 overall heading into next Wednesday’s Jayhawk Conference opener with Dodge City at the Sports Arena.
The pair of wins also brought Blue Dragon volleyball coach Delice Downing to the brink of a major coaching milestone. Downing earned her 498th and 499th all-time coaching victories on Wednesday.
The Blue Dragons hit better than .300 for the second-straight match and for the third time in the last four matches, hitting .306 against Kansas Wesleyan. The Dragons limited KWU to .033 hitting.
Sophomore Taniya Golden led the Blue Dragons with 12 kills, hitting .161 on 31 attacks. Golden also had seven digs with one solo block and one service ace.
Sophomore Ashlyn Long tallied a career-high eight kills and hit .444 on 18 attacks.
Freshman McKenzie Murphy had five kills on .571 hitting. She also had a team-high four total blocks with two solo stuffs and two block assists.
Sophomore setter Giovanna Ravanhani closed with 29 assists, three service aces and five digs.
Freshman Libero Isabella Rollandini had a season-high 27 digs to lead Hutchinson defensively.
Gianna Adriaanse had 10 kills to pace Kansas Wesleyan.
SET 1: The first set had eight ties and two lead changes. The Dragons hit .345 in the first set and the Coyotes had a match single-set high .222 attack percentage. Tied at 9-all, Briseno had a pair of kills in a small 4-1 run that helped the Dragons built a 13-10 lead. The lead grew to 18-13 before Wesleyan went on a 6-2 run to pull with 20-19. A Ravanhani setter dump, Golden kill and a Callie Muff/Cameron Letcher combo block gave the Dragons a 23-20 lead. At 24-23, Long hammered kill from the left pin to give the Dragons a 25-23 victory.
SET 2: A kill and solo block on back-to-back rallies by Murphy capped a strong start to the second set for the Dragons, building a 10-3 lead. Leading 14-7, the Dragons went on a 5-0 run for a 19-7 lead. Long had three kills during a set-clinching 5-2 run. Ravanhani threw down a dump on set point for a 25-11 win. The Dragons hit a match single-set high .455, while holding the Coyotes to a negative-.182 with only four kills.
SET 3: Kansas Wesleyan scored the first three points of the final set. The Blue Dragons then countered with a 10-2 run after Golden converted on a back-row attack for a kill with an off-speed shot for a 10-5 Dragon lead. Four different players had kills in a 5-0 run that saw Hutchinson extend a five-point lead to a 17-7 cushion after a KWU attack error. The Coyotes pulled within 18-12, but kills from Golden, Muff and Golden again pushed the lead back to nine at 21-12. The Dragons hit .176 in the third set, but still comfortably won 25-16.
