Broncbusters lose in five sets to Cloud County

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-The Broncbusters just couldn't close the deal on Wednesday night.

Camryn Wessel had 13 kills and two blocks, Lakyn Tenbrink tallied 10 kills, and Cloud County overcame a two-set deficit to beat Garden City in five 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 19-25, 16-18 at Conestoga Arena. The Broncbusters have now lost nine straight conference games and currently sit a game back of Pratt for the final playoff spot in the Jayhawk West with five matches to play.  

This one was tough to swallow considering how great Patrick Hiltz's team looked for most of the night.

In the opening set, Garden City took control early, thanks to a slew of Cloud County errors. Remi Vargas then setup Hannah Brandt for a kill, Vanja Stefanovic rose up and unleashed an emphatic spike, and Laren Baldowsky fired a crosscourt laser that put Garden City up 20-19. That was followed by a Giorgia Cappelletti kill and a Brandt spike that gave the Broncbusters a 1-0 advantage.

Trailing by as many as three in the second, Garden City didn't 'go away. Baldowsky recorded a kill followed by a Cloud County attack error and a Rachel Panzer spike that put the Broncbusters up 18-16. Panzer added another kill, Emily Jenkins dropped in a perfect ace, and Vargas recorded a spectacular dig that led to Panzer's kill that ended the set.

But everything changed in the third.

A violation and an attack error had Hiltz's squad staring at an early six-point deficit. But after Garden City rallied back to cut it to one on another Thunderbird violation, Panzer's serve ripped into the net. That was followed by a Broncbuster miscue and a Kenzie Cooper Kill that gave the road team the set. Then in the fourth, Cloud used a 10-3 run to break open a 13-13 tie. Tenbrink blocked a Broncbuster attack, and Cooper sent a rocket down the right sideline for set point.

The fifth was a mirage.

Twice the Broncbusters had match point; the second of which came on a beautiful kill by Cappelletti that put Garden City up 16-15. But a service error followed by an attack that sailed long gave the Thunderbirds a chance to close it out. Then, Natasha Dooley pounded home the game winner with a crosscourt kill.

Stefanovic and Panzer each had 10 kills for Garden City, which lost for the 10^th time in their last 11 games. Vargas tallied 27 digs and tied a season-high with 48 assists.