Volleyball Opens National Title Defense in Denver
By Will Reynolds
Arguably the toughest thing to do in all of sports is to defend a championship title. The Broncos will attempt to do just that after winning the 2016 NAIA Volleyball National Championship, whilst having one of the best seasons ever for Hastings College.
The 2016 Broncos reached 30-wins for the first time since 2012, compiling an overall record of 33-3. Their 33 wins are second all-time for the program, dating back to the 2006 season when that squad tallied 35 victories. A 17-game win streak during the latter half of the season assisted the Broncos in sharing the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season championship with Midland as well as being crowned the outright tournament champions for the first time in program history.
The only downfall for the Broncos coming into this season is the expectations and pressure on them to repeat their performance. It will not be an easy task after losing a core of four seniors, including First-Team All-American middle blocker Logan Drueppel. Drueppel led the country in hitting percentage, total blocks, and blocks per set. However, reigning NAIA National Coach of the Year Matt Buttermore thinks this year is no different than previous ones.
"(The) expectations are the same really: to keep working hard and learning on a daily basis. Last year there were a lot of knowns, both in our program and nationally in terms of who would be in the top 7 or 8 programs. This year everything is much more fluid, which is of course another great opportunity for us," Buttermore said.
The Broncos will return a nice, young group of players who possess experience. This is a group which includes First-Team All-American Katie Placke (SR/Grand Island, NE), Second-Team GPAC Sage Meyer (JR/Bellevue, NE), Casey Krolikowski (JR/Cairo, NE), Andrea (Jameson) LaVene, Clare Hamburger (JR/Hastings, NE) and 2016 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball National Libero of the Year Jill Bax (SR/Lincoln, NE). Buttermore also mentioned that he and the rest of the coaching staff feel very good about the class of players coming into the program.
Of the returners, Meyer and Placke ranked second and third on the team last year in total kills, while Krolikowski followed in fourth. Placke and Hamburger led the 2016 squad in assists with 710 and 607, respectively, although Placke will likely tally more kills this season along with middle blocker Andrea Jameson. The latter and the former will also defend the net after compiling 150 and 110 blocks during the 2016 campaign.
Winning the school's first volleyball national championship was not easy and it was far from guaranteed, even with a loaded roster like the Bronco's possessed last year, but after previous trips to the National Championship coming away empty-handed, Buttermore knew his team was ready to breakthrough last year.
"I suppose a program's first national championship is a long time coming for almost all of it's members, but that was definitely a great way for our seniors to finish up," Buttermore said. "Obviously (the players) put a lot of work in, but one thing we talked a lot about last year is that you don't just get to win. Every year is different regardless of how long you've been somewhere. Looking to the future we have to keep that in mind. And as a coaching staff we have to remember that one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to think you have this thing all figured out. As soon as you do that, you're going to get humbled."
The title nearly slipped away from the Broncos during the championship match when Dordt College jumped out to a 2-0 lead. But, a motivational intermission speech from some of the veteran players boosted the team's energy and Hastings College swept the final three sets to capture their first ever national title.
The road back to Sioux City will likely be a familiar path for the Broncos. They will begin the season in two tournaments including the Bill Marshall Volleyball Classic, which attracts some of the top programs in the NAIA. Last year, Hastings played 2015 defending national champion Columbia College (Mo.) in the tournament, and now the Broncos will be in their shoes as they try to defend their national title. Before that, though, Hastings will begin the season in Denver, Colorado, at the Johnson & Wales Tournament on Aug. 18th at 9 a.m. mountain time.
