BLUE DRAGONS BLOCK, DIG WAY TO UPSET OF NO. 6 SEWARD COUNTY

Kristina Head had a season-high 12 total blocks to lead the Blue Dragons to a four-set victory over No. 6 Seward County on Sunday in Liberal. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

February 28, 2021

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

LIBERAL – The Hutchinson Community College volleyball team parlayed its best defensive match of the season into an upset of No. 6 Seward County on Sunday at the Green House.

The Blue Dragons racked up a season-high 18 team blocks and totaled 56 digs against the No. 1 offense in the Jayhawk Conference and knocked off the sixth-ranked Saints 25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-15 to capture its seventh-consecutive victory.

Hutchinson defeated a team ranked in the NJCAA Top 10 for the second-straight season and for the third time in the last four seasons.

The Blue Dragons improved to 13-5 overall and 6-2 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons are back on the road Monday night to take on the Pratt Beavers at 6:30 p.m. on Pratt. Seward County lost for the first time at home and in conference play this season. The Saints are now 11-4 overall and 6-1 in the Jayhawk West. Seward had a 10-game win streak snapped.

The last Blue Dragon win in the Green House was the 2017 Region VI Championship match when Hutchinson swept No. 3 Seward County.

While Hutchinson had three less kills than Seward County (43-40), the Blue Dragons had a huge 18-5 block advantage. The Blue Dragons has six solo blocks and 24 block assists.

The 18 team blocks tied for the fourth-most blocks in single-season history – matching a 2006 match against Jefferson College and a 2015 national tournament match against Central Florida.

Freshman Kristina Head and sophomore setter Chloe Price led the Blue Dragon block party.

Head had four solo blocks and eight block assists to lead Hutchinson. Head's 12 total blocks tied for second most in single-match Blue Dragon history. Head tied the 12-block efforts of Kim Rausch (vs. Dodge City in 2001), Ludmila Amaral (vs. Southern Idaho in 2007), Petra Silic (vs. Jefferson in 2015) and Tatyana Ndekwe (vs. Jefferson in 2017).

Price has a Blue Dragon setter record for blocks in a single match with a career-high eight total blocks (1 solo, 7 block assists).

Freshman libero Shelby Reeder led a stellar back-row defensive effort with 18 digs. Briggs had 13 digs and Price had 13 digs to go with 32 assists for her sixth double-double of the season.

The Blue Dragon defense held Seward County to a season-low .090 hitting percentage for the match. The Dragons held Seward County to .041 or lower in 3 of the 4 sets, including a negative-.059 in the second set.

Sophomore Jenna Thorne paced the Blue Dragon offense with 23 kills on .400 hitting. Thorne added five block assists and six blocks. Taegen Larsen, Shadee Briggs and Head had five kills each.

The Blue Dragons hit .181 in the match.

Gabriella Badilla had 14 kills and Seyun Park had 11 kills to lead the Saints.

The Blue Dragons trailed 8-7 in the opening set. Larsen had a cross-court kill to start a 5-1 run. Head's kill gave Hutch a 12-9 lead. A Briggs' kill started a 4-0 run to give Hutchinson a 16-10 lead. A double block by Myracle Lettries and Price gave the Dragons a 19-11. Leading 21-15, the Dragons scored three straight to get to set point. The Saints fought off the first four set points, but Head terminated on the fifth to give Hutchinson a 1-0 match lead. The Blue Dragons out-hit Seward County .181-.022.

Briggs had four aces during a 9-0 Blue Dragon run to start the second set. Then leading 11-3, the Dragons survived a potential momentum-swinging moment. The Dragons thought it had a Thorne kill for an 11-3 lead, but the officials reversed the call after point saying the Dragons had four hits, making the score 10-4. The Dragons had back-to-back attack error to allow the Saints within 11-6. Seward County eventually pulled within 15-13. The Dragons then scored on a Saint service error, a Head/Price double block and a Thorne kill on the next three rallies to lead 18-13. At 19-15, the Dragons scored on 6 of the final 8 rallies of the set, closing the set with a Head solo block to defeat the Saints 25-17 and lead the match 2-0.

The Blue Dragons led the third set 12-7 when the Saints' vaunted offense came to life. Seward County reeled off seven consecutive points for a 14-12 lead. Seward County hit .318 on 18 kills in the set to offset Thorne's seven kills. Thorne had four-straight kills and a double block with Larsen to knot the match at 18-all. The Saints scored 4 of the next 5 points and despite two more Briggs' kills, the Blue Dragons dropped the third set 25-21.

The Dragons immediately grabbed back any momentum back from the Saints with an 8-1 run to start the fourth set. Head was in on three stuff blocks while Briggs and Thorne had two kills each. From that point, the Blue Dragon defense kept Seward County at arm's length. The Blue Dragons sided out on 8 of 14 changes and allowed the Saints to more than a two-point run in the fourth set. Leading 10-6, Thorne converted on three-straight points for a seven-point lead. Leading 13-8, Price's solo block started an 8-1 run. Price and Head capped that surge with a double block and a 21-9 lead. The match ended on the last of seven Seward service errors.