Having won the KJCCC West Division and Region VI Championship, the accolades continue to roll in for the Barton Community College volleyball team as post-season awards were announced today.  The Lady Cougars placed three players and its head coach on the Jayhawk West All-conference and All-Region VI team.   Headlining the selections is freshman Paula da Silva who was chosen as both the Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year.  Joining da Silva on the 1st Team is sophomore Juliana Melo de Barros while sophomore Taylor Arnold earned honorable mention recognition.   Head Coach Patrick Hall, in his first season at Barton, was chosen as the Coach of the Year.

Paula da Silva
The 6’2” freshman middle blocker from Uberlandia, Brazil, was a unanimous choice among coaches for the selection. Ranking 7th in the nation in kills per set at 3.95, da Silva was often the focus of opposing defenses and regularly faced two defenders.  Due to team injuries, da Silva also played at the outside hitter position which added to her versatile dimension.  She led the team in blocks at .92 per set and service aces with 44 on the season.  Her efforts throughout the year also earned her three KJCCC Verizon Player of the Week and one NJCAA Division I Volleyball Player of the Week honors. 

“Paula was an obvious choice for Player of the Year,” said Barton Head Volleyball Coach Patrick Hall.  “With a unanimous vote from the coaches, it was clear she had made quite an impression. She converted half of her over 1,000 swings into points, and had three games of 30 plus kills.  Being set by Juliana was certainly an advantage, and Ju (de Barros) was rightfully chosen first team again.”

Juliana Melo de Barros
In her second year being named to the Western Division 1st Team, de Barros was the engine driving the Lady Cougars.  The 6’0” sophomore setter from Sao Paulo, Brazil, ranked 21st in the nation in assist per set at 9.29 but was one of the top all-around players for the Lady Cougars.  She was second in attack percentage and serves while also being one of the top defenders.  De Barros also earned both the KJCCC Verizon Player of the Week twice and the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Player of the Week twice.

“I thought Ju should have been a little higher in the voting, but then I get to see every day what she can do,” said Head Coach Patrick Hall.  “She’s not just delivering great sets, but also producing kills, serving aces, and playing incredible defense.”

 

Taylor Arnold
Having being pressed into setting duty late in the season for injured de Barros, Arnold played a variety of positions for the Lady Cougars this year.  Initially a middle blocker, Arnold moved to outside hitter position while spending occasional time at setter. The 5’10” sophomore from Lebanon, Kansas, ranked second on the team in assists per set (1.13) and third in kills per set (1.86). 

“It was great to see Taylor recognized,” said Head Coach Patrick Hall.  “She stepped in and filled many roles for us this year—a nice tribute to her versatility that kept us in first place at a critical juncture in the season.”

 

Patrick Hall
Winning awards are nothing new for Coach Patrick Hall but this year’s Coach of the Year honor is his second straight and comes as his first season guiding the Lady Cougars.  In the past six seasons Hall has won the award four times with previous three coming as the head coach at Pratt Community College.  Hall has helped guide the Lady Cougars to a 13-1 conference record that included winning 42 of 46 sets, a national ranking for most of the season, and Barton’s second straight national appearance in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball National Tournament.

“Having worked alongside Coach Hall for the past five years, today’s announcement of his selection as coach of the year comes as no surprise to me,” said Barton Athletic Director Trevor Rolfs.  “Patrick Hall is an excellent coach and recruiter but an even better person.  The Jayhawk Conference Championship, the Region VI Championship, and now boasting the coach of the year marks the beginning of special things to come for Barton Volleyball!”

The Team
Barton entered the 2011 campaign as the No. 16 ranked team in the nation after coming off a 26-9 and national tournament appearance last season.  The Lady Cougars climbed to No. 11 with an 8-0 record before suffering its first defeats in the College of Southern Idaho Tournament in mid-September.  Throughout the season Barton faced ten teams that were either ranked or received votes in the national poll.  In capturing the Jayhawk West Division crown, the Lady Cougars dominated the conference winning 42 of 46 sets in route to a 13-1 conference record and 29-12 overall. 

 

Upcoming
Barton (29-12) will leave Tuesday for West Plains, Missouri, for their twenty-first appearance at the national tournament which will be held November 18-20.  Barton, who won the National Championship in 2003 and is seeded No. 14, will play No. 3 seeded Western Wyoming Community College in the first round at 9:00 a.m. Thursday.  Should the Lady Cougars win their first match they would play later that day at 5:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 6 Iowa Western versus No. 11 Temple College match.  If Barton loses their first match, they would play at 10:00 a.m. Friday against the loser of Iowa Western-Temple match. 

Released:  November 9, 2011

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