Cloud County Volleyball Suffers Four Set Loss to Pratt in Conference Play

The Cloud County Community College volleyball team battled to four sets against conference foe Pratt, ultimately falling 24-26, 23-25, 27-25, 20-25 on Saturday, September 28 inside Arley Bryant Gymnasium.

The opening set featured ten ties. Pratt scored the first two points and jumped out to an early 8-2 lead. The T-Birds battled back by scoring six straight points, tying the match at 8-all on a kill by freshman outside hitter Karoline Schroeder. Cloud County then scored seven of the next ten points to capture a four point lead at 15-11. Pratt again found its groove, tying the match at 18. Later in the frame, Pratt staved off set point and manged to score the final three points to win the opening game, 26-24.

The Beavers carried their late momentum into their second set, controlling play and building up as much as a seven point lead at 16-9. The T-Birds threatened down the stretch, getting as close as within one point on two different occasions before Pratt was able to escape with a 25-23 win.

In the third set, Cloud County overcame an early deficit, at one point going on a 10-5 scoring run to hold a 19-13 advantage. The Beavers stormed back to tie the set at 19-all, marking one of eight ties in the frame. A kill by freshman Carlie Carlgren put the T-Birds ahead at 26-25, while the set finished on a hitting error by Pratt, giving Cloud County the 27-25 victory.

The T-Birds were unable to keep the momentum in the fourth set. Pratt led by as many as seven points before picking up the five point win at 25-20.

Schroeder made her presence felt on the attack, leading the team with 15 kills. Carlgren and sophomore Bradie Medina each supplied double-digit kills. Medina had 13 kills and 14 digs, while Carlgren added 12 kills. Freshman Maria Clara Lopes Miranda tallied 35 assists and three block assists.

The T-Birds continue conference play on Wednesday, October 2 in Great Bend, Kansas when they take on Barton Community College. Barton, ranked No. 5 nationally, is 20-1 overall and 7-0 in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference action. The Cougars have swept 18 of their opponents so far and have not dropped a set in conference play. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 pm and the game will be streamed by Barton Sports.