BLUE DRAGONS ROLL BY GILLETTE FOR 2ND WIN AT McCOOK

Precious Johnson had a pair of kills and three block assists to help the No. 19 Blue Dragons to a 3-0 win over Gillette on Saturday at the McCook Invitational.

August 19, 2023

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

McCOOK, Nebraska – The No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College volleyball team had nine service aces and eight team blocks as the Blue Dragons earned their first sweep of the season with a 3-0 victory over Gillette College on Saturday in Match 3 of the McCook Invitational.

The Blue Dragons rolled to a 25-16, 25-14, 25-11 victory to improve to 2-1 on opening weekend.

Hutchinson had a balanced offense and also took advantage of 20 Gillette attack errors and seven service errors.

For the third-straight match, Taniya Golden led the Blue Dragons with nine kills. Sophomore Anna Dean had seven kills and freshman Emma Stubbs had four kills.

Defensively at the net, Dean had three solo blocks and five total blocks. Sophomore Gabriella Panzetta had four total blocks, including one solo stuff. Freshman Precious Johnson had three block assists and Stubbs added two blocks.

Sophomore setter Giovanna Ravanhani had 13 assists and freshman Shelbi Wilson had 10 assists.

Golden and freshman libero Isabella Rollandini had seven digs each and Catalina Arce had four digs.

SET 1: Tied at 6-all, the Blue Dragons took charge of the set with a 5-0 run that was capped by Golden's kill for an 11-6 lead. Leading 16-11, Golden had back-to-back service aces to boost the lead to 18-11, McKenzie Murphy's kill out of the middle gave Hutchinson a 20-12 lead. Dean closed out the set with a kill for a 25-16 victory.

SET 2: Tied at 6-6, a Stubbs kill started a 5-0 run that was aided by two Dean kills and two double blocks by the sophomore middle. After Hutchinson built an 11-6 lead, the Dragons kept pulling away. Alondra Velez added a service ace for a 15-8 Dragon lead. Ravanhani scored on a setter dump for a 19-12 lead. Leading 20-14, the Dragons reeled off five-straight points, getting a solo block and a kill from Panzetta to give the Dragons a 25-14 victory.

SET 3: Tied at 4-4, the Blue Dragons had their longest scoring run of the early season when they reeled off 14 points in a row with nine different players scoring at least one point from a kill, block or ace. Ryleigh Stuhlsatz's ace serve capped the run and gave the Dragons an 18-4 lead. Hutchinson close out the match with a Panzetta kill, Gillette attack error and Jaidynee Vontress service ace in the final three rallies.