Hutchinson CC Sports Information

McCOOK, Nebraska – Powered by a career-high performance from sophomore outside hitter Taniya Golden, the No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College volleyball team rallied from a set down to capture its first victory of the season, defeating Casper College in five sets at the McCook Invitational.

The Blue Dragons closed out a 1-1 day on Opening Day with a 25-16, 26-28, 21-25, 25-23, 15-10 victory over the Thunderbirds. Hutchinson dropped a 3-1 decision to McCook earlier on Friday.

Hutchinson plays Gillette College at Noon and Northeastern Junior College at 4 p.m. on Saturday to close out the McCook Invitational.

Trailing 2-1 after Casper won the second and third sets, Golden combined for 13 kills over the final two sets to lead the Blue Dragon comeback. Golden accounted for seven kills in the fourth set, including a kill that tied the set at 23-all. She had six kills and a pair of block assists in the fifth set, helping the Dragons close out the match with a kill, block and kill on the final three points of the match.

Golden finished with a career-high 27 kills to lead the Blue Dragons. She added three total blocks and just missed a second-straight double-double with eight digs.

Middle blocker Anna Dean tied a career high with 14 kills. She also had a solo block and six block assists to lead the Dragons at the net.

Callie Muff added five kills. Setter Giovanna Ravanhani had 27 assists and three total blocks. Setter Shelbi Wilson had 17 assists.

Freshman libero Alondra Velez had a team-high 18 digs. Freshman Isabella Rollandini had eight digs.

SET 1: Hutchinson used an early seven-point run to build a 10-5 lead to open the match. McKenzie Murphy's solo block capped a 5-0 run that gave the Dragons a 16-9 lead. Leading 20-16, the Blue Dragons had their third extended scoring run with a 5-0 run to close the set. Dean's kill got the set to set point and Catalina Arce's ace finished off the set.

SET 2: The Dragons maintained a slim lead through the early stages of the set. A Dean/Ravanhani double block gave the Dragons a 7-4 lead. Golden's kill gave the Dragons a 9-7 lead and a Casper attack error upped the Hutchinson lead to 12-8. Casper rallied to tie the set at 17-all, but the Dragons took a 21-19 lead after a Muff kill. The Thunderbirds rallied again and had a set point in hand at 24-23. Golden's kill quashed that set point. Golden then tipped a shot to the deep corner to avoid a second set point and tied the set at 26. Casper got a kill and service ace finish close out the set,28-26, and tie the match.

SET 3: Tied at 5-all, Casper took charge building a 13-7 lead. The Dragons chipped away, pulling within one point on four different occasions before taking a 20-19 lead on a Ravanhani dump for a kill. Casper then went on a 6-1 run to take the third set, 25-21, and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

SET 4: Casper maintained that momentum and built a 5-1 lead in the fourth set, prompting a Dragon timeout. The Dragons immediately responded with a 6-1 run and took a 7-6 lead after a Dean kill. The Dragons extended that run to 11-2 for a 12-7 lead after a Casper attack error. It grew to 17-10 after another Thunderbird attack error. Casper then went on a 9-2 run to tie the set at 19. Down 23-22, the Dragons forced a fifth set with a Golden kill, Dean solo block and Wilson ace serve for a 25-25 win.

SET 5: The Blue Dragons sided out on 8 of 10 chances in the fifth set. Trailing 8-7 at the crossover, the Dragons took charge, scoring three straight on a Golden back-row kill, Arce service ace and a Dean/Ravanhani double block for a 10-8 lead. The Dragons closed out the match with a 5-1 run, getting Golden's 27th kill of the match on match point for a 15-10 victory.