Warriors Take Down Broncos in Five Sets

(Seward, Nebraska) – A day after getting their first win of the season, the Hastings Broncos fell 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 16-18) in a very competitive five-set match against Lewis-Clark State College on Saturday in the second and final match of their Bulldog Bash trip.

Hastings led most of the first set, including leads of 14-9 and 18-13. They were two points away from the set at 23-21, but the Warriors went on a 4-0 run to steal the first set from the Broncos, 25-23.

The second set was similar to the first, but this time it was Hastings that came from behind. The Warriors held the lead until the Broncos tied it up at 15. Lewis-Clark State held a 22-20 lead late in the set, but Hastings would win six of the next eight points to win the set, 26-24. Senior Majesta Valasek had five kills in the set and junior Kaitlin Thiebauth had four kills as well. Junior Alexis Pontine had 10 assists, while seniors Miriam Miller and Dacey Sealey had seven and six digs, respectively.

The third set was made up of runs from both teams. Hastings won the first four points, then Lewis-Clark State responded with a 10-2 run. The Broncos responded by winning the next five points to take a one-point lead, then the Warriors eight of the next ten, including the first six in the run, to make it 18-13. Hastings was able to tie it up at 22, but Lewis-Clark State pulled out the third set with a score of 25-23.

Hastings forced a fifth set with an impressive fourth set as they never trailed in the period. They jumped out to an 11-8 lead and while the Warriors would tie it up a few times, they could never take the lead. After tying the set at 16, Hastings won nine of the next 15 points to claim the fourth set, 25-22. Pontine had a great set passing with 16 assists, helping set up Valasek, who had seven kills and freshman Mikah O'Neill, who had four kills in the fourth set.

The fifth set was very tight as neither team trailed by more than two in the period. With the Warriors leading 14-13, O'Neill, who had six kills in the set alone, delivered a kill and Pontine followed it up with a surprise setter attack to give the Broncos a match-point opportunity. The Warriors would get a kill, but Makenna Sutter responded with an attack to give Hastings another match-point chance. Lewis-Clark State put together a second game-saving point to tie it up, then won the next two points to take down the Broncos 18-16.

Valasek and O'Neill led the team in kills with 19 each and Pontine had a game-high 54 assists. Miller and Sealey put together a great defensive performance as they had 31 and 22 digs, respectively. 

Up next, the Broncos will host their annual Hastings College Classic on Aug. 23-24. Their first match will be against Bethel College at 2pm on the 23rd in Lynn Farrell Arena, which will also be the opening match of the 2024 Classic.