Broncbusters win their fourth straight

Concordia, KS-The Broncbusters accomplished something on Wednesday that they had not done in five years.

Reigning conference player of the week Bailey Martinez had four aces and 16 digs, Shaney Tiamulu had 13 kills, and Garden City swept right past Cloud County 26-21, 25-16 and 25-20 at Arley Bryant Gymnasium. It was the Broncbusters fourth straight win, equaling their longest streak since 2012.

"We did a lot of good things tonight," Matula said. "We went after a lot of balls I haven't seen us go after before."

The Broncbusters used quick starts in the first and second sets. In the opener, Garden City (10-19, 6-7), took advantage of a couple of Cloud County (4-22, 1-13) miscues for a 16-10 lead. After the Thunderbirds crawled back to within three; the brown and gold put the hammer down, and Abigail Skeeler's kill gave Garden City the first frame.

"These girls took care of business tonight and didn't mess around," Matula added.

In the second, the Broncbusters stormed their way to an 11-4 lead before Cloud County called a timeout. After the Thunderbirds again cut it to three, Tijana Simovic swung the tide with a block at the net, fueling a run where the Broncbusters scored 10 of the next 15 points. On set point, Madison Park delivered a thunderous crosscourt kill that ended the frame.

"We had the right mindset in this one," Matula said. "And that says a lot."

The third set was a runaway, at least at the onset.

The Broncbusters rattled off 18 of the first 22 points before Cloud County made them sweat a little. The Thunderbirds rallied all the way back, slicing the deficit to 24-20. But that's as close as they would get as McKinsey Moody's service error ended the match.

Garden City has won seven out of their last nine matches. They are back on the road Friday night at Dodge City.