Barton hires former Wichita State coach to lead volleyball program

Meeting the approval of the Barton Community College Board of Trustees Tuesday evening, Phil Shoemaker will be taking over the Barton volleyball program as the Cougars new head coach for the 2013 season.  Shoemaker, a thirty-three year veteran of collegiate coaching, comes to Barton from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and replaces former Cougar head coach Andrea Rasmussen.

In thirteen years with the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, Shoemaker’s squads compiled a 132-180 record competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division II level. He leaves the Nanooks program as the winningest coach in history and earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) team academic awards for having a plus 3.3 grade point average for three consecutive years from 2007-09.

Prior to moving to Fairbanks, Shoemaker coached at Wichita State University from 1983-1999 winning 243 matches to become the second winningest coach in Shocker history.  During his tenure, Shoemaker was the first coach to lead the Shockers to four consecutive berths in the conference tournament and the first to lead them to five straight winning seasons.  Earning the conference coach of the year in 1991, Shoemaker’s run until his departure in 1999 included three 20-win seasons, two 19-win seasons, and six conference tournament appearances. In addition to the success on the court, Shoemaker’s teams also earned four AVCA team academic awards including a Division I best 3.55 grade point average in 1999.

Shoemaker’s head coaching career began in hometown of Independence, Missouri, serving as head coach and Volleyball Commissioner at the Blue Valley Activity Center.   His teams achieved a championship and eight top-five finishes in Amateur Athletic Union and USA Volleyball Junior Olympic National Championship Tournaments.

A graduate of the University of Missouri, Shoemaker began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater in 1980 as an assistant for the Tigers.  During his three seasons, Shoemaker helped lead the Tigers to a 26-6 record and their first national ranking.

Through the years, more than twenty of his players earned All-American honors, and many, many more have earned All-Conference athletic and academic recognition.

In addition to coaching, Shoemaker has served the GNAC representative to the AVCA DII National Head Coaches Committee, and is a member of the USA Volleyball Coaching Accreditation Program Cadre. He has previously participated on numerous AVCA and NCAA committees, and, has served a coach and administrator for the USVBA Junior National Development Program, served as coordinator for the Mid-America Junior National Team, and was Assistant Director for the USVBA National Development Camps.

Shoemaker competed on collegiate and open teams for 20-plus years, including ten National Championship tournaments.

Shoemaker played college volleyball at both Graceland College and the University of Missouri as an undergraduate, and at Western Illinois while in graduate school. Shoemaker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Park Administration from the University of Missouri in 1975, and a Master of Science degree at Western Illinois University in the same field in 1982.

Shoemaker and his wife Dianne have a son Tanner.

Released:  December 12, 2012

Title defense begins as the Cougars earn first round victory over Pratt

The Barton Volleyball team passed its first test in defending its Region VI crown as the Cougars downed Pratt Community College in four sets Tuesday night at the Barton Gym 25-21, 26-28, 25-20, and 25-23.   Defeating the Beavers for the third time this season and ending Pratt’s season at 9-20, the Cougars improve to 13-18 on the season and advance to the region’s final four to be held on Saturday and Sunday at Wichita’s Newman University.  Barton, the fourth seed of the tournament, will be seeking their third straight Region VI Championship and begin play at 10:00am Saturday.  The Cougars most likely will play top seeded Hutchinson Community College but await the results of the Hutch-Cloud County Community College match to be played on Wednesday.   

Released:  October 30, 2012

Derby’s Littleton named conference volleyball player of the week

Barton volleyball player Taylor Littleton was named the KJCCC Verizon Wireless Player of the Week announced earlier this week.   A 2011 Derby High School graduate, the 6’0” sophomore middle blocker from Wichita was Barton’s go-to hitter last week as she hit .456 in leading Cougars to two conference victories.  In Barton’s sweep at Pratt Community College, Littleton hit .471 with seven blocks then followed that performance with a .444 six block performance against Cloud County Cloud County.  Spending most of her freshman season behind 2011 All-American Paula da Silva, Littleton is making the most of her season ranking 33rd nationally in blocks per game.  

Barton finished the regular season Thursday night dropping a four-set conference match to Colby Community College.  With the loss the Cougars dropped to 12-18 overall and slipped into a third place tie at 9-5 with Colby in the conference and region standings.  Region VI playoff seedings will be announced on Friday with the Cougars assured a first round home playoff game on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.   Winners of first round matches will advance to Wichita’s Newman University for double-elimination play on Saturday and Sunday.

Released:  October 26, 2012
Photo by:  Everett Royer of KSportImages.com

Conference leader Hutchinson prevails in four to defeat Cougars

The Barton volleyball team had a tall task in taking down conference leader Hutchinson Community College and lost in four sets Tuesday night at the Barton Gym.  In a close battle in the match’s first two sets, Hutchinson pulled away late in the first to win 25-19 then fought off a set point to win the second 28-26.  The Cougars led throughout a nip-n-tuck third set before winning 26-24 to draw within one in the match but the Dragons responded with their strongest set of the night cruising to 25-13 victory.  Despite the loss, Barton remains in third place in the Jayhawk Conference and Region VI standings at 9-4 while slipping to 12-17 overall.   Hutchinson, who wrapped up regular season play tonight, improves to 21-6 on the season and wins the conference title under first-year and former Cougar head coach Patrick Hall with a 13-1 record.  With one regular season match remaining, Barton hopes to secure its hold on the third seed for the upcoming Region VI Tournament when they travel to Colby Community College for a 6:30 pm. match on Thursday.  The Cougars lead Colby by one in the conference and region race having defeated the Trojans in four sets back on September 26 at the Barton Gym.  Regardless of Thursday’s outcome Barton will host a first round playoff game on Tuesday October 30th.

Sophomore night shines bright in Cougars four-set victory over Cloud County

The Cougars strung together three straight impressive set victories to put away Cloud County Community College tonight at the Barton gym.   Dropping the first set 23-25, the Cougars dominated the following sets winning 25-14, 25-20, and 20-19.  With the victory Barton improves to 9-3 in Jayhawk Conference play and 12-16 overall while Cloud drops to 1-10 in conference and 4-26 overall.   Honoring the soon-to-be departing sophomore members of the team after the match, Barton still has two regular season games remaining including next Tuesday’s home match against conference leading Hutchinson Community College.  The Cougars will wrap up the regular season on Thursday at Colby Community College as both teams will likely be vying for the number three seed in the upcoming Region VI tournament. First serve for each match is 6:30 p.m. 

Cougars sweep Pratt to earn conference road victory; Solidify hold on third place

The Barton Volleyball team solidified its hold on third place in the Jayhawk Conference and Region VI by defeating Pratt Community College in straight sets tonight in Pratt.  The Cougars easily won the first set 25-11 and pulled away midway through the second set to win 25-20.  Looking for the three-game sweep, the Cougars lead throughout the early part of the set only to have the Beavers battle back to draw within one at 15-14.  Barton answered with a 7-3 run to open up the gap and maintain the advantage for a 25-19 third set victory.  The Cougars improve to 11-16 overall but more importantly improve to 8-3 in conference and region play while Pratt drops to 7-18 and 3-8 in conference.  With three regular season games remaining, the Cougars will play two of the three at the Barton Gym beginning Thursday as Barton hosts Cloud County Community College.  Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. with special recognition given to the sophomore members of the team.

Seward County takes down Cougars for second time of season

For the second time this season, the Barton Community College volleyball team couldn’t get past Seward County Community College as the Lady Saints kept its second place stronghold with a 3-1 victory Wednesday evening in Liberal, Kansas.   Seward took the first set 25-22 but Barton bounced back for a 25-20 win to even the match before the Lady Saints dominated the third and fourth sets 25-16 and 25-17.  Seward improves to 7-1 in Jayhawk play and 12-14 overall while dropping Barton to 5-3 and 7-13 on the season.  Barton will look to keep its grip on third place in the conference standings next Monday as the Cougars host Garden City Community College in a 6:30 p.m. match at the Barton Gym.

Released:  October 4, 2012

Impressive performance lifts Cougars to 3-1 conference win over Colby

Bouncing back from a disappointing weekend, the Barton volleyball team put together a strong performance tonight in a 3-1 victory over Colby Community College.   Improving to 5-2 and moving into sole possession of third place in the Jayhawk standings, the Cougars opened up with an impressive 25-16 first set win.  After Colby returned the favor winning 25-19 in the second, the Cougars closed out the match with 25-22 and 25-21 victories.  With the victory Barton improves to 7-12 overall while Colby slips into fourth place at 4-3 and 14-7 overall.   The Cougars will have a week of rest before making the trip to Liberal to take on second place Seward County Community College at 6:30 p.m. at The Greenhouse.   The Saints, 6-1 in conference and 10-11 overall, defeated the Cougars back on August 29 in straight sets at the Barton Gym to open conference play.

Released: September 26, 2012 

Cougars battle through tough competition at Hutchinson Invite

The Cougars didn’t face ranked opponents this weekend at the HCC Invitational, but they did face three opponents receiving national votes as the Cougars went 0-4 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.   Barton lost three of the matches in three straight sets with one match going four.  Barton falls to 6-11 on the season and returns to Hutchinson on Monday for a key Jayhawk West match.  The Cougars, 4-1 in conference play, will take on the No. 19 ranked Blue Dragons at 6:30 p.m. for the top spot as Hutchinson sits in alone at the top of the West with a 5-0 record with Barton and Seward closely behind.  

Barton started the weekend off with Missouri State University - West Plains on Friday, falling in straight sets.  The Grizzlies, who have been receiving national votes throughout the season, made short work of dispatching the Cougars 25-14, 25-22, and 25-16.

In the following match, the Cougars faced their second team receiving national votes in taking on Seminole State College.   Barton played tough against the Lady Trojans but found themselves battling from behind as Seminole earned a 25-19, 25-21, and 25-23 straight set sweep.

In day two of the invitational, Barton played Redlands Community College in the early contest.  After falling in a hard fought 21-25 first set, the Cougars bounced back to win 25-23 in the second.  However the loss seemed to have awaken Redlands as they went on to win the next two sets 25-16 and 25-13.

Looking to salvage the weekend, Barton took on New Mexico Military Institute in their final match early Saturday afternoon.  New Mexico, who owns victories against Jayhawk schools Hutchinson and Seward, won in straight sets 25-20, 25-23, and 25-18 to send the Cougars home without a victory over the weekend.

Released:  September 22, 2012

Cougars receive forfeit win

The Barton Volleyball team’s season overall record has been adjusted to reflect a recent NJCAA ruling.   The Cougars will gain a non-conference win due to Panola College forfeiting their August 24 victory over Barton due to an eligibility infraction.  The ruling improves Barton’s record to 6-7 overall with no effect on the Cougars 4-1 conference record.

Released:  September 20, 2012

Cougar Volleyball escapes with 20-18 fifth set road victory

Winning in dramatic five-set fashion for the second time in three days, the Cougars added Cloud County Community College to the list of victims tonight in Concordia.   Much like two days previous, the Cougars dominated the first set 25-10 and appeared to be headed for a quick three-set match.  However the T-birds had other plans and captured the second set 26-24.  Leading throughout the third set the Cougars cruised to a 25-13 victory only to have Cloud respond with a 25-16 thumping to force the deciding fifth set.  Cloud held small leads in the beginning only to have Barton come back to tie the set at seven.  The teams battled point for point the rest of the way until Barton outscored the T-birds 3-0 for the 20-18 win and pick up their fourth five-set victory against zero defeats.   The win improves Barton’s record to 4-1 in conference play and 6-7 overall as the Cougars picked up a victory this week from Panola College’s forfeit of their August 24 victory over Barton.   Cloud remains winless in conference play at 0-5 and drops to 3-10 overall. 

Barton’s next action will be this Friday and Saturday as they face stiff national competition at the Lady Dragon Invitational in Hutchinson.  The Cougars will play Friday at 2:00 p.m. against Missouri State University - West Plains then face Seminole State College immediately following at 4:00 p.m.  On Saturday Barton will face Redlands Community College at 9:00 a.m. and wrap up the tournament with a 1:00 p.m. contest against New Mexico Military Institute. 

Released:  September 19, 2012

Cougars fight off Dodge City to win 5th set conference match

After seemingly having control of the match after winning the first set, the Lady Cougars had to battle back from a set deficit to capture the five-set victory over Dodge City Community College Monday night at the Barton Gym.    With the win Barton improves to 4-8 overall and 3-1 in conference play while Dodge City falls to 7-19 and 1-3.  The Cougars return to action Wednesday when they travel to Concordia to take on Cloud County Community College in a 6:30 p.m. match.

 

 

Dodge City bounced back from the 18-25 set one defeat to win sets two and three 25-23 and 25-20 respectively.  In a pivotal fourth set, The Cougars broke a seventeen all tie to distance themselves enroute to a 25-22 win.  In the deciding set, Barton built an 8-5 lead before the teams switched sides, but the switch turned momentum to the Conquistadors as they drew with one.  The Cougars built the lead back to two before a serve and receiving error allowed Dodge to tie the set at ten apiece.  After trading a pair of points the Cougars built a 14-12 lead only to have Dodge respond to cut it to one before a controversial net call gave Barton the 15-13 victory.

Released:  September 18, 2012     Photos by:  Everett Royer KSportsImages.com

Piland helps lead Cougar Volleyball to conference victory

The Barton Volleyball team returned to conference play tonight at the Barton Gym with a 3-1 set victory over Pratt Community College.  The Cougars captured the first set but suffered the loss of starting setter Jasbelle Cruz midway thru the set.  Freshman outside hitter McKenzie Piland stepped in to take Cruz’s place and helped lead Barton’s 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, and 25-15 victory.  Barton improves to 3-8 overall and 2-1 in conference play while Pratt falls to 4-7 and 1-3 respectively.  The Cougars return to action Monday when they host Dodge City Community College.  Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Barton Gym.

Released:  September 12, 2012

Cougars upset #20 ranked team, go 1-3 in power packed Idaho Tournament

Featuring six teams ranked in the top ten of the NJCAA Division I poll, the Cougar Volleyball team was handed losses by three of those teams in Idaho this weekend.  Barton won their opening match of the Starr Corporation Tournament on Friday against No. 20 Northeastern Junior College and then dropped matches against the Nos. 4, 6, and 7 teams in the nation.  Barton drops to 2-8 on the season with six of those losses coming against nationally ranked teams.  The Cougars will return to conference play Wednesday to take on Pratt Community College in a 6:30 p.m. match at the Barton Gym.

On Friday Barton needed five sets to complete a comeback victory against No. 20 Northeastern.  The Cougars dropped the first set 13-25 but rallied to win the second set 26-24.  After losing the third set 19-25 Barton returned the favor for a 25-17 victory to set up the match deciding fifth set.  Barton trailed 10-8 and 13-12 before outscoring Northeastern 4-1 down the stretch to capture the 16-14 victory.  In the nightcap Barton faced its first of three nationally ranked teams in the tournament in No. 6 Western Nebraska Community College.  The Cougars of WNCC quickly dispatched Barton winning 25-15, 25-17, and 25-10.

Saturday Barton faced two more ranked teams starting with the host and No. 7 ranked College of Southern Idaho.  Losing the first set 10-25, Barton rebounded to take the second set 25-21 becoming only the second opponent to win a set against the Golden Eagles.  CSI responded with 25-19 and 25-13 victories to win the match 3-1.  Barton closed out the weekend in Idaho losing to No. 4 ranked North Idaho College 19-25, 16-25, and 9-25.

Released: September 9, 2012

Cougars rally for fifth set conference victory

The Barton Volleyball team rallied from two sets down Wednesday night on the road to defeat Garden City Community College  17-25, 18-25, 25-22, 29-27, 15-5.  Barton picks up its first win of the year to improve to 1-5 and even their conference mark at 1-1 while Garden City drops to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play.  The Cougars leave today for Twin Falls, Idaho, where they will play three top seven nationally ranked teams Friday and Saturday in the STARR Corp Tournament hosted by the College of Southern Idaho.

After dropping the first two sets 17-25 and 18-25, the Cougars faced defeat early in set three trailing 7-10.  However the Cougars went on to outscore the Broncbusters by six the rest of the way to win 25-22 and set up an exciting fourth set.  The two teams traded lone point leads until the Cougars were able to pull ahead at 15-13.  However the Busters responded by building the set’s largest lead by either team at 20-17.  After the Cougars fought back to tie it at 20, the teams would battle to five more ties as each team had four set points before the Cougars were finally able to secure the 29-27 victory.  Having all the momentum entering the match’s final fifth set, Barton raced to a 5-0 lead and eventually ran away with the 15-5 win. 

Barton will play four matches during their Idaho trip including three against highly ranked teams.  Friday’s schedule has the Cougars playing at 2:00 p.m. against Northeastern Junior College followed by a 6:00 p.m. match against No. 6 Western Nebraska Community College.  The Cougars’ Saturday schedule has them facing host and No. 7 ranked College of Southern Idaho at 2:00 p.m. then wrapping up the tournament by taking on No. 4 ranked North Idaho College at 4:00 p.m.  *All times Central Standard Time

The Cougars will return to conference play next Wednesday for a home match against Pratt Community College.  Game time is 6:30 p.m. at the Barton Gym. 

Released:  September 6, 2012

Cougars lose conference opener to rival Seward

The start of the 2012 season for the Cougars hasn’t been what they envisioned for the reigning Region VI champions.  Wednesday night’s conference opener added to the early season questions as No. 14 Seward County Community College earned a hard fought rare three-game sweep of the Cougars at the Barton Gym.   A rematch of the 2011 Region VI Championship game, both teams entered the contest with identical 0-4 records after having competed in tournaments last weekend.  Seward controlled the first set 25-19 then escaped with narrow 27-25 and 26-24 victories to complete the sweep. 

Barton will have a week to make adjustments before traveling to Garden City on Wednesday to take on the Broncbusters.  Game time is 6:30 p.m. at the Dennis Perryman Athletic Complex.

Released:  August 30, 2012

Cougars drop four in Texas to open seasoner

The Barton Volleyball team was handed four losses in Texas this weekend to open up the 2012 season.  Participating in the Dana Hatch Invite hosted by Tyler Junior College, the Cougars lost two matches on Friday and two more on Saturday. 

On Friday Barton lost to Vernon College (TX) three sets to one.  After dropping the first set 11-25, the Cougars won the second set 25-18 before dropping the third set 15-25.  The Cougars battled back in the fourth but eventually fell 27-29.  Returning to the floor after a short break, Barton lost again three sets to one falling to Panola College (TX).  Dropping the first set 16-25, Barton won the second set 25-23 but lost the third and fourth sets 19-25 and 15-25 respectively.

The Cougars first game on Saturday was against the tournament host and the nation’s No. 2 ranked team Tyler Junior College (TX).  Pushing the Apaches in set one, the Cougars eventually lost 23-25 and seemed to awaken the host.  Tyler went on to sweep the match with 11-25 and 16-25 game scores.  As was the case on Friday, Barton returned to the floor after a short break to face an always tough Blinn College (TX).  The match featured two tough sets with the Cougars winning set one 33-31 before falling 26-28 in the second set.  Barton wilted down the stretch losing the match’s final two sets by identical 8-25 scores. 

Barton returns to action on Wednesday as they host Seward County Community College in Jayhawk Conference play openers for both teams.  Game time is 6:30 p.m. at the Barton Gym.

Released:  August 25, 2012

Go to Sidebar Content