HUTCHINSON — Finally playing at home after the first nine matches of the season on the road, the No. 18-ranked Hutchinson Community College volleyball team used its block once again to earn a Jayhawk West sweep of Butler on Wednesday night at the Sports Arena.
Hutchinson out-blocked Butler 13-5 and defeated the Grizzlies 25-18, 25-22, 25-20 to move to 2-0 in the Jayhawk West.
HCC (5-5) overall didn’t need a big block early as it raced out to leads as large as eight points in the opening set. The Blue Dragon block, led by sophomore Nicole Kinser and freshman Petra Silic, got stronger as the match progressed with five total blocks in the second set and seven total blocks in the third.
Kinser had three solo blocks and seven total blocks to lead the Blue Dragon effort at the net. Silic had a solo and five assists
Kinser hit .474 to lead Hutchinson offensive with 10 kills and only one error on 19 swings. Freshmen Jai Chapman and Aubrey Wilson had six kills each. Sophomore Lauren Darby had four kills. HCC had 30 kills to Butler’s 28. The Grizzlies had 16 attack errors to Hutchinson’s 10.
Freshman setter Tarynn Stueder finished with 14 set assists and a season-high four service aces Wilson added seven assists. Freshman libero McKenzie Steele had a team-high 10 digs.
The Blue Dragons had six services aces to Butler’s two.
Butler had six players between four and six kills. Rachael Buzanowski had six kills and two blocks to lead the Grizzlies (6-5, 0-3 Jayhawk West). McKenzie Johnson and Bailey Santo had five kills each.
Hutchinson came out strong in the first set, reeling off the first four points. A Kinser kill made it 7-2. Three straight by HCC boosted the lead to 16-8 after a Stueder ace. The Dragons matched that eight-point margin twice on Butler errors. Butler pulled within 21-15, but an Anna Proffitt kill stopped any momentum and a Steele service ace brought HCC to the brink of the set. HCC out-hit Butler 11-7 and the Grizzlies had six attack errors.
Butler had the early advantage in the second set, building a two-point lead twice, the final one at 6-4. HCC rallied with a 6-2 run, getting a double block from Kinser and Wilson to lead 10-8. From that point, HCC wasn’t able to pull away, but Butler wasn’t able to ever tie the set. Leading 16-15, Hutch had a perfect tip from Kinser, a Kinser solo stuff and a Butler attack error to build a 20-15 lead. Leading 22-19, a solo Silic block and a double-block by Silic and Proffitt pushed HCC to the set point. Butler scored three-straight to pull within 24-22, but a service error handed a 2-0 match lead to Hutchinson. The Dragons out-hit Butler 10-9 in the second, but owned a 7-1 blocking advantage in the middle set.
The Blue Dragons had three blocks in building a 6-2 set. Kinser had two kills and two blocks in that initial run. After three-straight Butler points, a double block by Silic and Lexi Turner capped a 4-0 run to give Hutch a 10-5 lead. Butler then scored 5 of the next 6 points to pull within 11-10 after a Courtney Walker kill. HCC was unwilling to relinquish the lead. HCC built leads of three points twice at 15-12 and 18-15 after a double block by Skye Chapman and Silic. Butler then scored 3 of the next 4 to pull with 19-18. HCC closed the match with a 6-2 run, scoring the final three points on a Kinser kill, Stueder ace and Butler attack error.
The Blue Dragons will be off this weekend, but continue Jayhawk West play on Monday with a 6:30 p.m. match against Dodge City at the Sports Arena.
(HCC Sports Information)