Never mind the fact that the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team is ranked No. 19 in the nation this week.
Forget the fact, for now at least, that HCC is 5-0 and in first place in the Jayhawk Conference. Don’t pay much attention to the almost 63-percent winning percentage Hutchinson volleyball has following the Lady Dragon Volleyball Classic since 2007.
As the 10-3 Lady Dragons begin play on their sixth-annual mid-season home tournament on Friday at the Sports Arena, only one fact stands out.
Hutchinson has lost eight straight and 10 of the last 11 matches in the Lady Dragon Volleyball Classic. Sure, seven opponents in those losses were nationally ranked and only three have been sweeps. But to the Lady Dragons, a loss is a loss and this weekend, first-year coach Patrick Hall’s team desires to change that fact.
The Lady Dragons are in the middle of an 11-match-in-13-day stretch that will end with conference matches against Barton at home on Monday and at Dodge City next Wednesday.
Hutch will open the Classic at Noon on Friday in a rematch of an opening-weekend meeting with Seminole State College. The Lady Dragons swept then-No. 11 Seminole State on Aug. 26 at the New Mexico Military Classic in Roswell, N.M.
The Lady Dragons will meet Region 16 perennial power Missouri State University West Plains at 6 p.m. on Friday to close out Day 1. From 2004 to 2006, HCC and West Plains played some very memorable matches, including a four-set knock-down-drag-out battle in the 2004 NJCAA Tournament on the Grizzlies’ home floor.
On Saturday, Hutchinson and Jefferson College will meet for the fourth-straight season and for the fifth time in six Classics at 11 a.m. HCC will close out its tournament run at 3 p.m. on Saturday against Frank Phillips College.
Jayhawk West rival Barton, New Mexico Military and Redlands Community College round out the 2012 Classic field.
Through the 2012 season, six of the eight Classic teams have spent at least one week in the NJCAA poll. Currently, Hutchinson is the only ranked team at No. 19, while Seminole State, Redlands and West Plains are in this week’s Receiving Votes list of the NJCAA Division I volleyball poll.
+ Classic team records (as of Sept. 19): Hutchinson, 10-3, Seminole State, 10-5; MSU-West Plains, 4-5; Jefferson College, 5-5; Frank Phillips College, 6-8; Barton, 5-8; Redlands, 11-6; New Mexico Military 8-7.
+ Videostreaming: All four Hutchinson matches will be videostreamed live by the Blue Dragon Sports Network with pre-match shows beginning 15 minutes before the scheduled start. All 16 matches will be videostreamed live by the Blue Dragon Sports Network. Streams for non-HCC matches will begin just before those matches begin.
+ Admission: Daily admission is $5 with children eighth-grade-and-under receiving free admission with a paid adult. There will be two-day passes for $8.
(HCC Sports Information)
2012 Hutchinson Lady Dragon Volleyball Classis Schedule
Friday, September 21
Noon: West Court – Hutchinson vs. Seminole State
Noon: East Court – New Mexico Military vs. Redlands
2 p.m.: West Court – Barton vs. MSU-West Plains
2 p.m.: East Court – Frank Phillips College vs. Jefferson College
4 p.m.: West Court – Barton vs. Seminole State
4 p.m.: East Court – Frank Phillips College vs. Redlands
6 p.m.: West Court – Hutchinson vs. MSU-West Plains
6 p.m.: East Court – New Mexico Military vs. Jefferson College
Saturday, September 22
9 a.m.: West Court – Redlands vs. Barton
9 a.m.: East Court – New Mexico Military vs. MSU-West Plains
11 a.m.: West Court – Hutchinson vs. Jefferson College
11 a.m.: East Court – Frank Phillips College vs. Seminole State
1 p.m.: West Court – Barton vs. New Mexico Military
1 p.m.: East Court – Jefferson College vs. Redlands
3 p.m.: West Court – Hutchinson vs. Frank Phillips College
3 p.m.: East Court – Seminole State vs. MSU-West Plains
