Cloud County Volleyball Ends Road Trip with Four Set Win Over Dodge City Community College
Jumping out to a 2-0 lead after the opening two sets, the Cloud County Community College volleyball team would take advantage of strong play from the opening two sets to hold off host Dodge City Community College to pick up a 3-1 win inside the Student Activities Center in Dodge City, Kansas on Friday, September 15th.
Snapping a four-match skid, the T-Birds earned their 10th win of the season with a 25-19, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23 victory to improve to 2-4 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. Dodge City now sits at 11-8 overall and 2-2 in the KJCCC while suffering their first home loss of the year.
Getting off to a less than ideal start, CCCC would find themselves in an 11-4 hole in the opening set that would force the T-Birds into a quick timeout as the host Conquistadors three Cloud County errors would help create the scoring gap. Out of the timeout, Cloud County would get a service error to break a 5-1 run before putting together a 4-1 rally that would start to close the deficit. Slowly chipping away, CCCC would get back-to-back points on a solo block from Katelynn Brogan and kill by Doga Eski to tie things at 13-13 before taking their first lead of the set three points later off a Dodge City attack error. Another block coming from Kloë Waymel and Brogan to force the Conquistadors into a timeout. After a DC3 kill to put things at 16-15 in favor of the T-Birds, Cloud County would get back-to-back Dodge City errors to start a 4-1 run to start to put some space between them and the Conquistadors at 20-16 as the score would get no closer than three the rest of the set to allow CCCC to take a 1-0 lead.
Things would be much more back-and-forth to open the second set as the first 12 points of the set would be traded between the two teams before seeing a 3-0 spurt by Cloud Conty give the T-Birds a 9-6 lead. Dodge City would respond with a 3-0 run of their own to tie things back at 9-9 and force CCCC to call a timeout with four more ties coming over the course of the next 10 points. With the score tied at 14-14, Cloud County would see DC3 take a small lead off a kill and solo block before getting a Bradie Medina kill that would help keep things at a one-point deficit. Neither team would be able to find control until kills from Eski and Medina to allow CCCC to tie things at 18-18 before seeing a tie at 19-19, 2020, and 21-21. Breaking the tie yet again would be Madison Ronnebaum with a kill as Cloud County would go up 23-21 before seeing Dodge City battle to tie things back up one final time with the set still very much up for grabs. A timeout by the T-Birds would be followed by a kill from Medina to send things to set point before seeing Eski put down a thunderous kill of her own to cap off the set and allow CCCC to put the Conquistadors in a 2-0 hole.
Despite having a big lead in the match, Cloud County would find themselves falling into an 8-3 hole in the third set as Dodge City would come out playing with a renewed sense of urgency after being put in a must-win situation to try and extend the match past the set. The deficit for CCCC would grow to as many as 10 at 18-8 and again at 19-9 as it would appear the Conquistadors would cruise their way to a momentous runaway victory. Cloud County would have other plans however as two attack errors and a service ace would force DC3 to call a timeout before seeing the T-Birds manage to cut into the once double-digit Dodge City lead to pull within three at 23-20. Following the 11-4 run by CCCC, Dodge City would put a quick end to things with a kill and attack error to take a 25-20 set win as Cloud County would be unable to secure their seventh sweep of the season.
Even with the set win by Dodge City, there wouldn't be a feeling of momentum shifting hands following the set as Cloud County would score the first three points of the fourth set as part of a 5-1 run to open things up and put the Conquistadors back into a hole. The CCCC lead would stay intact until a 5-1 DC3 run that would turn an 8-4 lead for Cloud County into a 9-9 tie as things would tighten back up. Getting back out in front with back-to-back kills, the T-Birds would manage to keep control of the set by pushing their lead back out to five at 16-11 with a 5-0 run that would be capped off by a double block by May and Ronnebaum. Things would be far from over however as Dodge City would refuse to go away quietly with things becoming tied again at 19-19 to force a CCCC timeout as the T-Birds would be looking to avoid having to go to a deciding fifth set. Trading the next four points to keep things tied up at 21-21, DC3 would go back out in front on a Cloud County attack error before another tie would occur at 22-22 on a kill by Eski. Reclaiming the lead with an Ashley Suter service ace, CCCC would force Dodge City to call their final timeout of the set that would end up working to the benefit of the Conquistadors as a service error would tie things up yet again. Returning the favor however would be DC3 as a service error by the Conquistadors would send things to match point where May would get an opportunity to end things with a kill down the middle of the court to finish off Cloud County's first win over Dodge City since October 27, 2016.
What's Next?
Cloud County will look to keep the momentum rolling as they head into a home triangular against Southeast Community College and McPherson College JV, which is scheduled for Monday, September 18th. The T-Birds and Bobcats will open the three-match day at 3:30 PM before seeing Southeast take on McPherson JV at 5:30 PM. The nightcap will see CCCC take on McPherson JV with the match scheduled for a 7:30 PM start.