Volleyball Falls to 2 Ranked Opponents at Labor Day Classic
(Omaha, NE) – Facing off against two ranked opponents on the second day of the Labor Day Classic, the Hastings Broncos lost their morning match to #8 IU Kokomo in three sets (17-25, 21-25, 20-25). In their afternoon match against #24 William Carey, they lost in three sets (20-25, 12-25, 19-25).
Team Stats
IU Kokomo
| Game Statistics | IU Kokomo | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .375 | .144 |
| Blocks | 8.0 | 4.0 |
| Digs | 43 | 24 |
| Aces | 6 | 8 |
William Carey (MS)
| Game Statistics | William Carey (MS) | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .302 | .042 |
| Blocks | 12.0 | 3.0 |
| Digs | 49 | 28 |
| Aces | 3 | 3 |
(Omaha, NE) – Facing off against two ranked opponents on the second day of the Labor Day Classic, the Hastings Broncos lost their morning match to #8 IU Kokomo in three sets (17-25, 21-25, 20-25). In their afternoon match against #24 William Carey, they lost in three sets (20-25, 12-25, 19-25).
Hastings had momentum early by winning the first two points of the match and later holding an 8-7 lead. IU Kokomo took the lead at 10-9, but Hastings kept it close with kills from sophomore Kaleah Olson, junior Ilse Benne, and sophomore Mikah O'Neill to stay within one at 17-16, following a kill by sophomore Makenna Sutter. The Cougars closed out the set strong however, winning the next seven points and eventually taking the opening set, 25-17.
The second set started the same as the first set ended, with the Cougars taking the first five points. Hastings got within one at 7-6, thanks to a couple of aces from senior Alexis Pontine. The Wildcats came right back with a 6-0 run of their own, going up 13-6. O'Neill kept the Broncos in the set with three blocks and a kill, getting to within three at 15-12. Hastings got within two points on a couple of occasions late in the set, including at 23-21, but the Cougars finished the set at 25-23 with two kills to go up 2-0.
Hastings refused to go away quietly in the third, jumping out to a 12-6 lead, with Benne and O'Neill each recording two kills early on. After the Eagles strung together six straight points to tie it, Hastings answered back with three of their own, including two kills by freshman Klarissa Dowdy from Pontine to go up 15-12. IU Kokomo later pulled ahead 20-18, and while Hastings tied it up at 20 on back-to-back kills from O'Neill and Benne, the Eagles closed out the set, 25-20, by winning five straight points.
O'Neill led the team with nine kills and three blocks, while Sutter added seven kills of her own. Pontine recorded all of the 31 Bronco assists, which was a game-high. Sophomore Lainey Benson chipped in with seven digs.
Later in the day against William Carey, the Crusaders held an early 8-5 lead. Still leading at 8-7, Williams Carey went on a 5-0 run to go up 14-8. Led by three kills from Benne, Hastings battled back to tie it on a number of occasions later in the set, including at 20-all, but the Crusaders won the last five points of the set to win it, 25-20.
The second set belonged to the Crusaders, as they went up 5-1 early and stretched the lead out to as much as 10 at 14-4. Trailing 21-11 in the set, O'Neill got a kill from Pontine, but William Carey closed the set four points later, 25-12, as they had a .458 hitting percentage in the second set.
Hastings put together a run in the third set as they tried to mount a comeback, turning a 7-4 deficit into an 11-9 lead, taking advantage of multiple Crusader errors. The Crusaders took control by winning the next seven points to go up 16-11. The Broncos closed the gap to three at 21-18 on a kill by O'Neill from Pontine. William Carey wrapped up the match by going on a 4-1 run to close out the set, 25-19.
O'Neill and Sutter finished with nine and eight kills, respectively, while Sutter also led the team with 11 digs. Pontine recorded all 29 assists in the match for the Broncos.
Up next, Hastings will have a week and a half off from competition until conference play begins at Doane on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
