Broncos Knock Off Tigers in 3 Sets; Miller Surpasses 2K Digs
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hastings (13-8, 7-5) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Doane (NE) (8-17, 3-9) | 21 | 17 | 20 | 0 |
(Crete, NE) – The Hastings Broncos took care of business on Wednesday night at Doane, winning 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-20), in a match that featured a significant milestone, as senior Miriam Miller surpassed 2,000 digs, becoming just the fifth Bronco to ever do so.
Hastings started slow in the first set, trailing 11-5, but five straight points got them back in it, eventually taking a 15-14 lead. The Broncos were able to close the first set strong, winning 10 of the next 17 points to take the first set 25-21. Senior Majesta Valasek, who had seven kills in the set, ended the opening set with a kill.
Valasek carried that momentum into the second set, as she got two kills on the first two points of the set, then after Doane took a 3-2 lead, Valasek responded with three consecutive kills. Doane was able to keep the second set within three for most of the period, but with Hastings leading 14-13, the Broncos won four straight points and six of the next seven to put the set out of reach. Freshman Makenna Sutter also came up big in the second set with six kills and Hastings took the second set 25-17 on a Valasek kill.
The Broncos never trailed in the final set, but Doane was able to keep it close. With Hastings leading 13-11, Valasek got a kill and the Tigers lost two points on errors to make it 16-11, then the lead was stretched out to six at 22-16. The Tigers would cut the lead to 22-20, but Hastings won the next three points to win the third and final set, 25-20.
Valasek ended the game with 20 kills and Sutter had 14 kills. Miller led the team with 21 digs, while senior Dacey Sealey and freshman Lainey Benson had 14 and 12 digs, respectively. Junior Alexis Pontine led the Broncos in assists with 39 for the match.
Up next, Hastings will host #3 Concordia on Saturday, October 26 at 4:30pm. The matchup will take place at Lynn Farrell Arena as part of Homecoming Weekend.
