The Barton volleyball team’s quest for a finish in the top half of the Jayhawk West took a hit Saturday afternoon at the Barton Gym.
With a chance to gain ground on the team directly ahead of them in fourth place, the Cougars were not able to notch the crucial win.
Butler came into Barton’s home court and left with a straight set win. The Grizzlies defeated the Cougars, 27-25, 25-20, 25-19.
The loss drops Barton to 3-6 in the West and 11-11 overall. It also ended the Cougars’ brief 2-game winning streak. Butler is now 6-3 and a full three games ahead of Barton. The Grizzlies are 16-6 overall.
The first set proved critical in establishing momentum for the remainder of the match. The Cougars would rally late in the set and push the Grizzlies into extra points before Butler won 27-25.
The second set was not as close. Butler used an 8-0 run to grab a 17-7 lead and led 24-14 before Barton attempted a desperation rally to cut it to 24-20 with a 6-0 run. That is where it ended as the Grizzlies took a 2-0 lead.
In the third and what would be final set, the Cougars led early but Butler closed the set with authority. Trailing 12-9, the Grizzlies went on a 12-4 run to take a 21-16 lead. Barton would cut it to 21-19 but the Butler scored the final four points to win 25-19.
Laine Conceicao led Barton with 10 kills while Kelsie Antcliff added eight. Kaila Harris paced the Cougars with 15 assists and Carolina Goncalves finished with 11.
Beth Schulte had 19 digs to lead the Cougars defense with Conceicao finishing with four blocks.
Now past the midway point of the conference slate, the chances of Barton finishing in the top four are very slim.
The Cougars get a chance to get back to their winning ways and get some redemption when Pratt visits the Barton Gym Monday.
Pratt is 2-6 in the West and 6-17 overall but beat Barton at Lesh Arena in Pratt earlier in the year. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.