GREAT BEND, Kan. - Kicking off the first of two days at the Barton Community College Classic, the number 12 ranked Cloud County Community College volleyball team would bounce back from an opening three set defeat to down Pratt Community College in four sets to go 1-1 overall on Friday, October 4th. 

Cloud County now sits at 16-4 overall on the year while the Reivers improved to 15-5 overall with their eighth straight win. Pratt falls to 6-15 on the year after splitting action on Friday. 

Against Iowa Western:

It would be anything but an ideal start for Cloud County as the Reivers would show off their top-10 ranking in the NJCAA Division I volleyball poll by jumping out to an early lead and never looking back as part of a 25-16 first set victory. The T-Birds would make things much more competitive to start the second set, trading the first 12 points with IWCC with things staying close until a run of three straight points for Iowa Western made things 11-8. Sophomore Dayana Chara would end the rally with a kill to give Cloud County serve once again, but it would be more offense from the Reivers that would force a CCCC timeout trailing 14-9. Cloud County would then use their final timeout of the set as things would get to 18-10 in favor of IWCC before the two teams split the next eight points as Iowa Western would have too many answers down the stretch to take a 25-19 set victory. 

Trying to extend the match, Cloud County would once again fall into an early hole as the Reivers would grab a 9-4 lead to force a T-Bird timeout with CCCC needing to find a way to switch momentum. The run would continue as the Iowa Western lead would grow to 15-6 as Cloud County could not find an answer for the offensive display being shown by IWCC. The match would end with Iowa Western taking the set 25-13 as Cloud County would fall in straight sets for just the second time all season. 

Just six players for Cloud County would record a kill in the match, with Chara leading the way with 15 total kills to go along with eight digs. CCCC would go without recording a service ace, committing five service errors and only collecting four total blocks as errors would prove to be costly in all facets of the game.

Against Pratt:

A back-and-forth start to the match would see Pratt take a slim 15-14 lead over the T-Birds before a 7-2 Cloud County run forced a Beaver timeout with CCCC leading 19-17. Out of the timeout, Cloud County would score five of the next eight points to send things to set point at 24-20 and force another Pratt timeout, with the set eventually going to the T-Birds by a score of 25-21. 

Cloud County would waste no time in the second set, scoring seven of the first eight points as part of an 11-3 run to open the set before seeing PCC battle back and close the deficit to five at 14-9. Staying strong however would be the T-Birds as three of the next four points went to CCCC to force a Pratt timeout at 17-10 as the Beavers would get no closer than six at 23-17 the rest of the way with Cloud County winning the set 25-18 to go up 2-0 in the match. 

To open the fourth set, Pratt would score the first five points before seeing the T-Birds score four of the next five points to close back within two at 6-4 as part of a wild opening to the set. The Beaver lead would balloon once again to 14-6 to force a Cloud County timeout as CCCC would come back out of the timeout to score four of the next five points to close back within five at 15-10. Ultimately, it would be Pratt down the stretch as the Beavers would play with their backs against the wall needing the win to force a fourth set with the T-Birds unable to recover from the deficit to drop the third set 25-18. 

In the fourth set, Cloud County would grab a 4-2 lead before a Geraldyn Palacios kill would put the T-Birds up three at 5-2. Pratt would close the gap to just a single point at 5-4, but it would be three straight points by CCCC to double up PCC by a score of 8-4 in the early going. The early lead would prove to be just what Cloud County would need to put the match away in the fourth set, pulling away to win by a score of 25-17 to take the match 3-1. 

Chara and Mary Broxterman would lead CCCC as the duo would register 17 and 14 kills each as Chara would also add eight digs and one service ace. Delaney Herold would tab 21 digs and three service aces in the match while Riley Bontrager would lead the T-Birds with 42 set assists. 

What's Next?

Two more games in Great Bend at the Barton Classic await Cloud County as the T-Birds will take on host Barton Community College and Labette Community College to close out the tournament. CCCC and BCC will face off at 12 p.m. with the T-Birds and Cardinals playing at 4 p.m. to end the weekend.