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Barton volleyball win streak snapped in 5-set loss; one win from securing outright Jayhawk title
Reyes v Butler
Phoebe Reyes places a kill between a pair of Butler defenders Saturday during the Cougars match with the Grizzlies. Barton lost the match but is still just one win from wrapping up the Jayhawk Conference title outright. Barton has already secured a share of its first title since 2011. - photo by COURTESY PHOTO BCC Sports Information

The streak reached 12 games. But it came to an end over the weekend.

 

That streak was 12 straight wins for the 19th ranked Barton volleyball team. Those 12 straight wins put the Cougars a single win from wrapping up the Jayhawk conference title outright. The Cougars have already clinched at least a share of the title.

 

Barton missed out on securing that title Saturday on its home court as it lost a 5-set thriller to Butler. Butler kept Barton from wrapping up the title with a 27-25, 25-19, 18-25, 29-25, 15-13 win over the Cougars.

 

Barton is now 12-2 in the Jayhawk with a pair of games left on the schedule. The only team that can catch them is Hutchinson. The Blue Dragons are 9-4. They would need to win their last three matches and hope Barton drops both.

 

Barton still has a trip to Colby Wednesday then plays host to Hutchinson in the regular season-finale Saturday at the Barton Gym. Colby will not be an easy win for the Cougars as the Trojans are 9-5 and sitting in third place.

 

Hutch, meanwhile, is at home with Garden City Wednesday before heading to Great Bend Saturday. The Blue Dragons will close out their regular season Monday with a home game at the same Butler team that just beat Barton.

 

In the loss to Butler, the Cougars had to rally from a couple of sets down. 

 

The first set was a battle from the get-go. It featured 11 ties with the final one coming at 25-all before Butler scored the final two points to win the opening set 27-25. The Grizzlies made it a two set advantage with a 25-19 win.

 

But Barton wasn’t done. 

 

The Cougars rallied for wins in the next two sets, setting up a 5th and deciding set to determine not just a winner but perhaps a conference title for the Cougars.

 

Barton jumped to a 6-3 lead early in the fifth set. But Butler responded with the next seven points to take a 10-6 lead on the Cougars. Barton whittled it’s way back into the match at eventually even the match at 12-all. 

 

With the set tied at 13-all, Butler closed out the match with the final two points to secure the win.

 

Phoebe Reyes led the Barton hitting attack with 14 kills. Mya Thompson added 13 and Kassidy Nixon 11. Elana Stankovic paced the Cougars with 26 assists and Maurin Reyes added 18. 

 

Clara Lindstrom collected 24 digs on the defensive side of the ball while Nixon added 14.

 

Currently it is just a pause as Barton looks to secure the title outright.

 

First serve in Colby is set for 6:30 pm as the Cougars look to secure their Jayhawk title since 2011.

 

Butler 3, Barton 2

Butler 27  25  18  19  15

Barton 25  19  25  25  13

Kills - P Reyes 14, Thompson 13, Nixon 11; Asts - Stankovic 26, M Reyes 18; Aces - Wierzbicki 3, Danenberg 2, M Reyes 2. Digs - Lindstrom 23, Nixon 14; Blocks - Wierzbicki 5.