HutchCC Sports Information

Hutchinson Community College head volleyball coach Patrick Hall begins his sixth season with the Blue Dragons with uncertainty.

Picked to win a sixth-straight Jayhawk West championship in 2017, fall camp didn't go as planned for Hall and the Blue Dragons, who open the season on Friday at the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco Classic in Roswell, New Mexico.

The Blue Dragons return five players from last season's 25-12 team that was co-Jayhawk West champion and Region VI Tournament runner-up. Hall adds two transfers and six true freshmen to the mix for a run at a sixth-straight conference title.

But injuries have slowed the progress of the 2017 Blue Dragons. The team is getting healthier, according to Hall, but he will be cautious with his injured personnel as Wednesday's Jayhawk West opener against Garden City at the Sports Arena looms.

Sophomore Page Hiebert is the top returning offensive player from last season. Hiebert was the 2016 Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year as well as first-team All-Jayhawk West and Region VI. Hiebert hit .270 and averaged 2.51 kills per set. She also averaged 2.07 digs and 0.56 blocks per set.

Joining Hiebert on the outside will be freshman Leonie Wienkaemper and transfer McKenna Sullivan. Last season at Cowley, Sullivan played in 24 matches and hit .124 with 1.47 kills per set.

Sophomore Katie Jorn returns at setter. Jorn averaged 5.44 assists per set in Hutch's 6-2 offense last season. Freshmen Cassidy Crites and Payton Gawith are setter/right-side hitters who will work as the second setter in the Blue Dragon offense.

Crites and Gawith also join sophomore ride-side hitter Nina Pevic, who was a .200 hitter with 1.75 kills per set.

In the middle are sophomore Patricia Joseph, sophomore transfer Tatyana Ndekwe and freshman Lexi Hogan. Joseph hit .281 with 0.96 kills per set last season and average 0.85 blocks as a freshman. Ndekwe, who played at Cowley as a freshman, averaged 1.91 kills with a .261 hitting percentage with the Tigers. She also averaged 0.62 blocks per set.

Sophomore libero Kelsey Mulligan is one of the injured Blue Dragons and will likely see limited action this weekend in New Mexico. Splitting time as a libero and back-row specialist last season, Mulligan averaged 2.83 digs and had only 15 serve reception errors in 486 opportunities. Mulligan also tied for the team lead with 29 service aces.

Freshman Claira Creach will start this weekend at libero. Freshman Raychel Reed will also see action in the back row.

The Blue Dragons open the Bronco Invitational at 2 p.m. (CT) on Friday against South Mountain. Hutch will close out Day 1 at 6 p.m. (CT) with Eastern Arizona. The Blue Dragons have an early day on Saturday with Pima at 9 a.m. (CT) and close out the tournament with host New Mexico Military at 11 a.m. (CT). That match will be streamed by NMMI.

The 2017 Blue Dragons will have eight home matches, all Jayhawk West matches, and play host the Blue Dragon Classic on September 22 and 23 at the Sports Arena.