Blue Dragon volleyball triumphs in long-awaited home debut

By Kaleb Moore
Staff writer
IG: @kalebmoore05 

There’s no place like home, and the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team took full advantage of its first match at the Sports Arena with a 3-1 victory over Cloud County Community College on Wednesday night.

The match began with an outstanding opening for the Blue Dragons, as they setting the tone, taking the first set 25-8. The combination of Tiana Simmons and Atlyn Proctor reigned fierce as the Blue Dragons went on several quick runs to win with efficiency. Set two was slightly more challenging, as the margin of victory was 25-13. Starting strong was a point of emphasis for the Blue Dragons, as they opened this set up 8-3, later embarking on a 7-0 run to go up 15-5 before subsequently winning the set by the aforementioned score.

Their first challenge of the match came in the third set, as Cloud County came alive. After a tough opening, the Blue Dragons took a timeout after losing three straight points, trailing 8-6. They weren’t able to take a lead until they clawed back and scored to make the score 16-15. Both teams dealt matching blows until the Blue Dragons got the score to 24-21. There was an official overturning of the winning point, and Cloud County was able to stave off defeat by nabbing 5 straight points to win the set 26-24. After that, the Blue Dragons were able to lock in and win the final set 25-16 to take the match, improving their overall record to 9-7.

Blue Dragons coach Delice Downing shared what the mood was like leading up to her teams’ first home match.

“Our vibes are very hype right now,” Downing said. “It feels good finally being home, and it feels great because it takes a lot to go on the road and have the crowds heckling you after driving three hours, so this just feels great to finally be at home.” 

Downing makes an excellent point, as they have played their previous 15 matches on the road. Having the support of a home crowd can work wonders, and it definitely helped the Blue Dragons.

As for the rest of the season, outside hitter Atlyn Proctor has high expectations.

“We’re looking at rings, that’s for sure,” Proctor said. “Once we get a few more wins, we’ll be good.” 

The Blue Dragons play six of the seven remaining September matches at home, with four matches Friday and Saturday.

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