(Hastings, NE) – Playing a non-conference game in between their conference schedule, the Hastings Broncos fell to the #8 Bellevue Bruins in 5 sets (25-22, 18-25, 15-25, 25-18, 13-15) on Tuesday night.
The Broncos trailed most of the first set, trailing by 20-15 at one point, but won the next five points and 10 of the last 12 to clinch the first set, 25-22. Senior Majesta Valasek had five kills in the opening set, along with 10 assists from junior Alexis Pontine.
The next two sets belonged to Bellevue as they capitalized on their attacking opportunities. The Bruins had a .350 hitting percentage in set two and a.382 hitting percentage in set three, with just five combined errors. They took set two 25-18 and set three 25-15 to take a 2-1 set lead.
Hastings flipped the script in the fourth set, jumping out to an 11-6 lead as it was their turn to force Bellevue errors. Freshman Makenna Sutter had a big set, registering seven kills, including on the first and last point of the set. Hastings held their lead and took the fourth set 25-18 to set up the decisive fifth set.
Bellevue took a 7-3 lead in the final set, leading to a Bronco timeout. Hastings won the next two points, but the Bruins quickly regained the momentum, taking a 13-7 lead. Three late kills by junior Kaitlin Thiebauth and some Bruins errors gave Bronco fans some hope, as they cut the lead to 14-13. Following a Bellevue timeout, the Bruins sealed the win with a kill, 15-13 in the final set.
Sutter’s 22 kills led the Bronco lineup, as well as 16 kills from Valasek and 12 kills from freshman Mikah O’Neill, who also led the team with four blocks. Pontine finished the match with a game-high 60 assists, while senior Miriam Miller had 24 digs and freshman Londyn Carnes had 3 blocks.
Up next, Hastings will return to conference play, going to Sioux Center, Iowa to play Dordt at 7:30pm on Friday, October 4th.
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