Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Holding Neosho County to just two kills in the opening set, the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team turned in a tremendous defensive effort in a non-conference sweep of Neosho County on Monday Night at the Sports Arena.
Four players had 10 or more digs and held the Panthers to .002 hitting in a 25-14, 25-14, 25-18 victory.
Hutchinson improved to 19-14 overall. The Blue Dragons will close out the regular season with Sophomore Night at 6 p.m. Wednesday against the Barton Cougars at the Sports Arena.
Zoe Schmidt and Rachel Easom had 15 digs each to lead the Blue Dragons' stellar back-row defense. Morgan Harvey had 11 digs and Baylee Miller had a season-high 10 digs. Kristina Head had eight digs.
The Blue Dragons held Neosho County to a negative .046 hitting and a combined 10 kills in the first two sets.
Offensively, the Blue Dragons hit .284 led by Head's 14 kills. Blondie Penaflor had eight kills Miller had six and Harvey had four kills.
Setter Andrea Serrano had 30 assists and three service aces. Head had Easom had two aces each.
Hannah Brisco had nine kills to lead Neosho County.
With a pair of early blocks, Neosho County was able to build a 9-6 lead in the first set. A Brooklyn Strobel ace gave the Panthers an 11-9 lead. The Dragons turned things around with kills from Head, Harvey and Penaflor on an overpass started a 7-0 run. A Serrano dump for a kill gave the Dragons a 16-11 lead. The lead went to 20-12 on a Neosho crossover violation. Kills from Penaflor and Head and two Easom aces close out the opening set.
Three double blocks from Zoe Schmidt and Penaflor highlighted a second set-opening 7-1 run. A Neosho County net violation upped the lead to 11-2. The Dragons maintained a sizable lead and led 19-10 on a Harvey kill. Neosho County poured three straight before the Blue Dragons finished off the set with a 6-1 run. Miller and Head had kills to close out the set, 25-14.
Tied 4-4 in the third set, the Blue Dragons took charge with a 7-0 run. A Schmidt ace gave Hutchinson an 11-4 lead. The Dragons took a 15-7 lead when a Miller dig traveled back over the net and landed on the end line for a kill. The lead grew to nine points on a Schmidt/Miller double block. The Dragons finished off the match with a Penaflor kill and Panther attack error.