CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Eastern Arizona College delivered one of its best performances of the season Thursday, knocking off No. 5 Barton Community College in a five-set battle, 14–25, 25–19, 25–19, 20–25, 15–9, in consolation play at the NJCAA Championships.
Eastern Arizona (25–8) rebounded from a rough opening set to hit .288 as a team and out-block Barton 12–7. The Gila Monsters controlled the fifth set from the first serve, closing on a 6–0 run that featured kills from Hannah Pushckor and Addison Hinckley, along with steady setting from Nayomi Toilolo and Marli Lopeman.
Pushckor turned in a standout performance, hitting .556 with 10 kills and a team-high eight blocks. Hinckley and Cale Torgerson led the attack with 13 kills each, while Rylee Pitney added nine on .350 hitting. Lopeman recorded 24 assists and a service ace, and Toilolo finished with 26 assists. Libero Kambria Maloy anchored the back row with 18 digs.
After dropping the opening set, Eastern Arizona flipped the match with two straight high-efficiency frames, hitting .382 in the second set and .324 in the third. Barton (31–7) was led by Stasa Stamenkovic’s 19 kills and 17 digs. Indigo Pruitt added 12 kills on .611 hitting.
Eastern Arizona outhit Barton in four of the five sets and finished with a 63–55 edge in kills while holding the Cougars to .186 for the match.
With the win, Eastern Arizona advances in the consolation bracket and will face Blinn College on Friday at 1 p.m. CT at the Dunn Center.
