The Pratt Community College volleyball team traveled and competed in a four-game stretch in Lamar, Colo. PCC came up winless during day one of the contest. The first game was a match-up between Pratt and Otero Community College. Pratt lost the contest in consecutive sets 0-3 (21-25; 31-33; 17-25). Shortly after, the Beavers took on the host team, Lamar Community College. PCC fell short with a loss 0-3 (21-25; 16-25; 14-25). The second day of competition started off promising for Pratt with a win over Trinidad State Junior College 3-2 (18-25; 25-22; 25-23; 19-25; 15-8). Pratt finished the road trip with a match against Frank Phillips College which they lost 0-3 (26-28; 23-25; 16-25).
PCC began the competition with strong offensive momentum. The Beavers took a substantial 19-11 lead in the first set against Otero but did not manage to put the game away. Set 2 continued in similar fashion for Pratt as they struck up a commanding 6-point lead early on. However, set 2 proved to be a back and forth battle between both teams. Otero found a way to come back and take the set 33-31. Otero managed to aggressively put up points in set 3 which ultimately led to a 0-3 defeat for PCC. Pratt also took on Lamar during the first day of the Quiznos classic. PCC lost a competitive first set to Lamar. The Beavers were able to put up impressive numbers to keep up in the game during the first. The team as a whole had 4 blocks, but it was not enough to close out the set. A lack of point scoring cost Pratt the second and third set.
"Day one as a whole was a learning experience for the team. We have quite a few freshmen on the court and a couple of sophomores who are in different roles than they were last year. The focus is to make our move to the next level," said head coach Jenny Mueller. "We're asking our players to be more strategic with their shot selection and serve locations. The defense also has very specific roles to play on the court. Today was a good mirror to show what our strength and weaknesses are."
Pratt started the second day of competition with a different energy. The Beavers clinched their first win of the classic by beating Trinidad State in a 5-set thriller. Pratt lost the first set but took the edge in the second and third. After trailing 1-2 Trinidad refused to be beat and forced Pratt into a fifth set. The game ended when middle hitter Elise Baranco scored the game-winning kill for the Beavers.
"We made some minor line-up changes against Trinidad. Moving to the 6-2 allowed us to generate a little more offense. As we progressed through the match we saw some really good things from our team. A few players really stepped in to their positions. We had solid defense in the back court and our blockers did an effective job at the net. The energy from the team as a whole was great," said Mueller.
The Beavers concluded their trip with a loss to Frank Phillips. A large number of errors by Pratt gave Frank Philips the advantage. The first 2 sets were a battle between both sides. Both sets were decided by a 2-point margin with the second set pushing past the 25-point mark. Pratt's failure to put the ball away in the final set stopped any chances of a comeback.
Many individual performances from the Beavers stood out during the 2-day long competition.
Libero Gabriella Ortiz had a team high of 62 digs in the tournament. The kills category was led by outside hitter Stephanie Reichenberger, who put 25 balls away during the weekend. Blocks were plentiful in the competition. Baranco, setter Olivia Hessman, and outside hitter Remyngton Green were tied at 4.5 blocks each.
Hessman had a particularly outstanding tournament. During the match against Lamar, Hessman had 6 kills playing only the setter position. While playing against Trinidad State, Hessman gave a solid all-around performance by obtaining 16 assists, 15 digs, and 2 blocks. The Pratt setter went on to be named to the all-tournament team.
PCC volleyball will return to action when they compete in the Cougar Classic hosted by Barton Community College beginning Aug. 31. The first match will be against Casper College at 1 p.m.