DRAGONS DROP FIVE-SET NAILBITER TO GRIZZLIES

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Four Blue Dragon players posted double-doubles and the match had a combined 22 lead changes and 37 ties, the Hutchinson Community College Volleyball team fell in a wild five-set Jayhawk Conference battle with the Butler Grizzlies on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson dropped its first KJCCC match of the season in a 2 hour, 26-minute marathon falling 21-25, 34-32, 24-26, 25-15, 12-15 to the Grizzlies.

The Blue Dragons are now 10-5 overall and 4-1 in the Jayhawk. Hutchinson plays host to Colby at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Butler is now 8-6 overall and 2-2 in the KJCCC.

The final stats mirrored the tight outcome … Hutchinson out-hit Butler .160-.123 with 64 kills to the Grizzlies' 56. The Dragons had a 15-12 block advantage and service aces were tied at 11 each. The Dragons out-dug Butler 93-87.

Sophomore Taniya Golden had her ninth double-double of the season with 20 kills and 13 digs. Golden hit .122 for the match on a career-high 74 attacks. The sophomore added three ace serves and three total blocks.

Sophomore Alejandra Briseno had a season-high 14 kills on .212 hitting. She posted her first double-double of the season with a career-high 19 digs. Briseno added three aces serves and two blocks.

Sophomore setter Giovanna Ravanhani had her second double-double of the season with 40 assists and a career-high 15 digs. She also had career highs of eight kills and six total blocks.

Freshman libero Isabella Rollandini notched her first career double-double with 20 digs and a season-high 10 assists. Rolandini added a season and match-high four service aces.

Sophomore middle blocker Anna Dean had nine kills on .208 hitting with six blocks. Freshman middle McKenzie Murphy had a season-high eight total blocks. Freshman defensive specialist Alondra Veles had 12 digs and two aces.

Butler had four players reach double figures in kills led by Sydney Lentz's 15 kills. Greta Santini had 13 kills.

The 66 total points scored second set on Wednesday was the highest combined scoring single-set in program history since college volleyball went to 25-point rally-score sets before the 2009 season. The previous high was 34 points against Iowa Western in 2010.

SET 1: The Blue Dragons trailed 8-6, but a Butler service error and an Ashlyn Long kill knotted the set at 8-each. Butler went on a 4-0 run, but the Dragons scored four straight on two Butler attack errors and Grizzly net violation and a Ravanhani/Murphy double block to tie the set at 12-12. The Grizzlies led 16-14 when a Ravanhani setter dump, a Golden ace and Butler attack error gave the Dragons a 17-16 lead. A Dean kill and Butler attack error upped the Hutchinson lead to 19-17. But Butler scored five in a row and closed the set on an 8-2 run to take the opening set 25-21. Butler hit .083 and the Dragons hit .000.

SET 2: Butler raced out to a 7-2 lead, but the Blue Dragon offense started to gain some traction. Down 16-11, Murphy figured in on three-straight points with a two kills and a block to pull with 16-15 and force a Butler timeout. The Dragons then trailed 19-5, 21-17, 22-18 and 23-20 before mounting a big comeback. The Dragons scored four-straight to take a 24-23 lead. The Blue Dragons then were stymied on four set-point opportunities and turned Butler away on three set-point chances in a set that had 10 ties and five lead changes. Trailing 28-27, the Dragons caught a break with a Butler missed serve. Trailing 31-30, Briseno tied the set with a kill. Tied at 31, Golden had kills on Hutchinson's final three points won, finishing out the record-breaking set two kills on the final two rallies for a 34-32 win to even the match at 1-1. The Dragons had 20 kills and hit .276 in the second set. Butler had 20 kills and hit .164.

SET 3: The Blue Dragons had all the momentum after the marathon second set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead on a Dean/Ravanhani double block. Golden's kill gave the Dragons a 10-3 lead. With Hutchinson leading 12-7, the Grizzlies reeled off six straight to take a 13-12 lead. The Blue Dragons immediately answered with a 9-2 run to lead 21-14 after a Ravanhani setter dump found the floor. The Dragons couldn't close out the set, though as Butler rallied with an 11-3 run to stun the Dragons with a 26-24 victory for a 2-1 match lead.

SET 4: Leading 10-7, the Blue Dragons went on an 8-1 run with three Golden kills powering the offense. This time the Dragons did not let Butler mount a serious comeback. The Dragons led 21-11 after a Briseno kill. Another Briseno kill upped the lead to 22-13. Leading 22-15, the Dragons closed out the set with Ravanhani kill, Briseno ace and a Butler ball-handling error for a 25-15 win to force a fifth set. The Dragons sided out with a match-high 66 percent in the fourth set.

SET 5: Things looked bleak for the Blue Dragons early in the final set as Butler jumped out to an 8-4 lead. A long kill started a 5-0 Hutchinson run. After that, two Dean kills, a Velez ace serve and Butler attack error, Hutchinson led 9-8. A Ravanhani kill gave the Dragons an 11-10 lead. Leading 12-11, Butler scored the final four points of the match. The Blue Dragons hit .000 and sided out at a 42-percent clip in the fifth set.

GAME NOTES: The Blue Dragons are now 3-1 in five-set matches this season. … the 200 total attacks by the Blue Dragons tied for fourth most in single-match history. … Hutchinson's 64 kills, 15 blocks and 11 ace serves all tied for the 19th most in each category, respectively in team single-match history. … Wednesday's second set was the fifth time that Hutchinson and its opponent both reached 30 points in a set since rally score went to 25 points in 2008. That last time was a 32-30 win over New Mexico Military in 2016.