A weekend KJCCC matchup with Independence Community College provided the Pratt Community College volleyball team with their second conference win of the season. The Beavers increased their record to 8-13 overall on the year by defeating the Pirates. PCC swept Independence 3-0 (25-22; 25-23; 26-24) to move in to seventh place in the KJCCC standings.
It was a hot start for the Beavers as they took a commanding 9-2 lead in set one. Middle hitter Elise Baranco put on a dominating performance for her team by killing the ball on every attempt she received. The Louisiana native scored four kills in set one and hit a perfect .1000. Baranco earned another two points in the set by serving Independence off the court. The freshman middle hitter had two service aces in the first set alone.
Productivity from middle hitters was the theme of the first set. Freshman Rylee Turner finished the day with five kills and only a single hitting error. Set one saw three of her five kills. Baranco and Turner combined for seven out of the 13 kills Pratt earned in the first set of the game.
Setter Olivia Hessman contributed to the hitters' successes in the first set with 10 assists. Hessman also finished set one with three kills and four digs.
Independence made a late mid-set run that forced PCC to take a timeout at 19-15. Pratt held the Pirate offense to only eight kills in the beginning set, but a brief struggle in serve receive sprouted four errors. The Beavers quickly bounced back and took the set 25-22 by earning their own points and capitalizing off Independence's mistakes.
The second set continued in similar fashion to the first. Pratt had the same amount of errors and earned points in the both set one and two. PCC scored 13 kills in the second set, as well as the first. The Beavers did not have as many aces in the second, but put up more blocking numbers to compensate.
This time around, outside hitter Stephanie Reichenberger helped power the offense with four kills on only eight attempts. Baranco did not shy away after the first set either. Baranco walked away from set two with five kills.
The Pirates started to gain the edge in the middle of set two, but it was short lived. PCC played at a level consistent to the first set. The difference this time around was Indy's ability to score a few more points. Independence took their largest lead of the game at 14-11 which forced a Pratt timeout. After the timeout, Pratt battled back and made an improvement. The Pirates also struggled to get the ball over the net or inbounds on the serve. The Beavers went on to win set two, 25-23.
Set three seemed to be the most competitive set of the match as a 2-point margin of victory separated the winner and loser. The Pirates nearly forced a fourth set, but Pratt's offense proved to be too much to handle.
The blue and white continued to efficiently put points on the board, but service errors played a large role in allowing Independence back in the contest. Neither side was able to pull away with a decent lead. Pratt finally made the game-winning effort after calling a timeout while tied up 23-23. Independence took the first score after the timeout. The game ended with a 2-point run that began wilth a right-side kill from Hessman and finished with an ace from defensive specialist Gabriela Ortiz that gave PCC the set and match.
Several individual performances allowed the Beavers to end with a victory. Hessman finished the game by racking up 23 assists and then also led with a team-high of 10 kills when in the front row. Baranco wrapped up the day with nine kills and hit .727 for the entire three set contest. A combination of these two efforts made a noticeable difference during tough stretches where Independence had momentum.
"We were effective when we were in system. Independence did a good job of keeping us out of system during sets two and three, but I was pleased that we found a way to persevere and win the game," said Head Volleyball Coach Jenny Mueller.
Pratt volleyball faces their next conference opponent on Sept. 24. The Beavers will travel to compete against Garden City Community College. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.