Aces Propel Volleyball Past Concordia
Hastings- For the 14th time this season, the Hastings College volleyball team has won a match in straight sets. This time was by a score of 25-10,25-14,25-19 against the Concordia Bulldogs on Wednesday at Lynn Farrell Arena as part of Pink Night.
Set one started very strong for the Broncos (17-1,9-1 GPAC) who took a demanding 16-5 lead over the Bulldogs (5-15,0-10 GPAC) off kills by Sage Meyer (JR/Bellevue, NE), Casey Krolikowski (JR/Cairo, NE), Catherine Williams (SR/Aurora, CO), Katie Placke (SR/Grand Island, NE), and aces by Jill Bax (SR/Lincoln, NE) and Placke. Facing a 24-7 deficit, the Bulldogs made one last push, rattling off three rally wins before a Placke kill won the set for Hastings.
After gaining a quick 5-1 lead over the Bulldogs, Bax padded the Broncos' lead with six aces in seven rallies. Krolikowski also added to the bludgeoning with two aces of her own to give the Broncos a 16-4 lead. Lucy Skoch (FR/Hastings, NE) ended the set with a kill to give the Broncos a 2-0 set lead over the Bulldogs going into intermission.
Hastings and Concordia traded points in the beginning of set three, but a small 8-4 run by the Broncos gave them a manageable 20-15 lead. Hastings ended the match with a 4-1 run.
Krolikowski led the Broncos with 11 kills and three aces. Placke also totaled three aces along with five kills and 15 assists. Clare Hamburger (JR/Hastings, NE) added 10 assists to the Broncos' cause. Bax led the team defensively seven digs, as well as offensively with six assists and eight aces. As a team, the Broncos tallied 15 aces.
The Broncos look to continue their tear through conference play when they travel to Yankton, S.D. on Saturday to take on the Mount Marty Lancers with first serve scheduled for 3 p.m.
