Blue Dragons Volleyball On Fire

Sam Ojeda 

Staff Writer

Head Coach Denice Downing and the Blue Dragons have been hot and rolling early to start the season. The Blue Dragons are 12-3 over their first 15 games and show no sign of slowing down. The Dragons started 0-2 to start the season against two teams they think they should’ve beaten. That did not set them back too much, however. Downings team came back hot, beating the No. 3 ranked team Missouri State-West Plains in a 3-2 match. They were not done. Iowa Western, who was the No. 1 ranked team in the country, was defeated by the Blue Dragons 3-2. Hutchinson has gone on a dominant 12-game winning streak and is ranked at No. 13 in the country. This was their first regular season ranking since 2015, when they came in at No. 20. 

That week of volleyball gave star player Baylee Miller NJCAA player of the week. Miller is an outside hitter from Wichita. She is in her second year playing under Downing and is thriving. Hitting .302 and averaging 2.32 kills per set. Miller, although dominant, is not the only star for Downing’s squad.

Anna Dean is a surprising freshman from Oswego. Hutch’s middle blocker won Jayhawk player of the week last week for her performance. Her teammate Andrea Serrano also received an award for setter of the week. Serrano, who is from Puerto Rico, is one of many international players for the blue dragons this season. 

This week they are on the road for their slate of games. They take on Pratt and Colby at the book ends of the week while also traveling to Sterling, Colo., for the NJC Classic. The Dragons are a must-follow this season and one to look out for as they hope to climb up the rankings. 

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