By Sam Ojeda / Staff writer

The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team walked away from the weekend disappointed with their performance.

The Blue Dragons hosted their annual Blue Dragon classic last Friday and Saturday at the Sports Arena which brings forth some of the best competition in the country.

After a 3-1 victory over Jefferson College, the Blue Dragons dropped three straight matches to Iowa Western, Trinity Valley, Texas and Mineral Area, Mo. The loss to Iowa Western was particularly frustrating, because the Blue Dragons had already beaten the Reivers this season. They ended the weekend at 18-8, headed to Monday’s Jayhawk West match at Barton.

The Cougars had been struggling of late, going 2-3 in their five matches in the lead up to the battle against their Jayhawk West foe. The Blue Dragons knew they had an opportunity to return to their winning ways, and they bounced back with a win on Monday, 3-1.

The biggest producers for Hutch were freshman Taniya Golden and sophomore Baylee Miller. Golden, an Omaha, Neb., native, had 17 kills, leading the Dragons. Her hitting accuracy was a solid .268, which raised her season number to .209. Miller added 15 kills, and freshman Anna Dean tallied 8eight.

Setter Andrea Serrano, from Puerto Rico, had a team-high 37 assists Monday night. Her 6.48 assists per set lead the team. Perrine Blanc and Morgan Harvey combined for 40 digs to help the Blue Dragons.

Hutch is now 19-8 after their rebound win. After a less than successful weekend, coach Delice Downing and her squad will take a Jayhawk West win to start the week. In the latest NJCAA polls, the Blue Dragons are receiving votes and hope to get into the rankings next week.

The outlook down the stretch looks challenging for the Blue Dragons. Wednesday, they take on Dodge City (14-4). Next, they challenge a hot Seward County team that has won six straight. After a midweek match against Cloud County, next week, they will travel to West Plains, Missouri, to take on some solid squads in the Grizzly Classic.

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