Broncbusters fall in four at Hutch

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Hutchinson, KS-Slow starts doomed Garden City on Wednesday night. 

Taniya Golden had 13 kills, Andrea Serrano posted 29 assists, and No. 16 Hutchinson defeated Garden City in four sets 17-25, 25-21, 22-25, 19-25 at the Sports Arena. It was the Broncbusters third straight loss, dropping them to 15-7 overall and 3-4 in conference play. 

Garden City was down 4-1 in the first set before managing to take the lead on Ozge Yavuz's block. But the Blue Dragons responded with a 14-6 run forcing Patrick Hiltz to call a timeout. A double touch followed by an Apolline Lepuissant attack error gave the Blue Dragons set point before Golden closed things out with back-to-back kills. 

The Broncbusters rebounded nicely in the second building an 8-1 lead on the heels of a Jelena Milovanovic kill and a tremendous block by Kate Perryman. After Hutchinson rallied to pull within one at 21-20, Hannah Brandt and Fiona Arnold combined for a double block, Milovanovic punctuated another kill; then finished off the frame by rejecting a Blue Dragon attack to even the match, 1-1. 

The third set though is where Hiltz's frustrations lie. 

Trailing by as many as eight, the Broncbusters stormed back with a 13-6 run to close to within one following another Milovanovic kill. But Tola Maczka put the ensuing serve into the net, and Milovanovic's attack sailed wide, putting Garden City in a 2-1 hole.

In the fourth, Hutchinson scored the first three points and led by as many as seven. Garden City, who evened things up at four after Lepuissant's spike, never got any closer than two the rest of the way.

Milovanovic recorded 15 kills for Garden City, which is now 8-7 in their last 15 games after a 7-0 start. Maczka added 24 assists, and Lepuissant had 21 digs.