DRAGONS WIN PAIR Of 5-SETTERS TO OPEN McCOOK INVITE
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
McCOOK, Nebraska – The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team played well into the night on Friday at the McCook Invitational, but the long day's effort proved worth the Blue Dragons' time.
Hutchinson started its nearly 6 1/2-hour day with a five-set upset victory over No. 9 Indian Hills at the Graff Events Center, defeating the Warriors 25-16, 25-21, 13-25, 18-25, 15-10.
Then led by freshmen Viktoria Graf's and Addy Foster's historical performance, the Blue Dragons rallied from a first-set loss to Lamar and defeated the Runnin' Lopes in five sets 18-25, 25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 15-2.
The Blue Dragons improved to 4-3 with the victories. Hutchinson will play Western Nebraska at 11 a.m. and North Platte at 3 p.m. on Saturday to close out the McCook Invitational.
LAMAR RECAP
Graf became the second Blue Dragon player in program history to have 30 kills in a match on Friday against Lamar – the first since 2019 – to led the Blue Dragons to a five-set victory over Lamar in Friday's second match.
Graf's career-high 30 kills came on .409 hitting. She added four block assists.
Katelyn Elstun is the only other Blue Dragon in program history to have 30 or more kills in a match, doing so in a five-set win over MSU-West Plains on September 27, 2019 at the Sports Arena. Graf's .409 attack percentage is the sixth-best individual mark in Blue Dragon history in a five-set match.
Foster became the just fourth Blue Dragon in team history to reach the 30-dig plateau in a match with 34 digs against the Lopes. Foster tied Raychel Reed, Alissa Bautista and Samantha Lackey for fourth-most digs in a single match with 34 digs.
The Blue Dragons also made a bit of team history by allowing the fewest points in a fifth set in since the advent of the rally scoring system in 2001. The previous low was five points allowed, which occurred three times – against Barton on September 8, 2010, against USU-Eastern on September 9, 2016 on and against Jefferson on February 6, 2021.
On Tiana Simmons' service rotation, the Blue Dragons scored the first nine points of the fifth set. The Dragons closed the match out on two back-row attacks for kills by Graf.
The Blue Dragons are now 18-9 all-time in the Delice Downing era in five-set matches.
Simmons closed with 11 kills, followed by Atlyn Proctor with nine and McKenzie Murphy with a season-high six kills. Murphy also had five block assists.
Sophomore setter Shelbi Wilson has 28 assists and two services aces. Freshman setter Ellie Suber had 19 assists. Foster and freshman Angela Ruepena had two aces each. Freshman defensive specialist Siani Sanchez tallied 12 digs.
INDIAN HILLS RECAP
The Blue Dragons took a 2-0 lead in sets after rallying from eight points down in the second set to win 25-21. Ninth-ranked Indian Hills won the second and third sets decisively before the Blue Dragons pulled away in the fifth for a 15-10 win, earning a victory over a nationally ranked opponent.
Suber set a balanced offensive attack led by Proctor's season-high 16 kills and Graf's 12 kills. Murphy finished with seven kills and three blocks.
Suber tallied 45 assists with three block assists and two service aces.
Foster led the Blue Dragon back row with 20 digs against the Warriors. Freshman Brooke Galey had eight digs. Wilson had a season-high three service aces.