Broncbusters razor sharp in season-opening win over Lamar

By Mike Pilosof

Lamar, CO-Patrick Hiltz stood on the sideline Saturday afternoon like he normally does; arms crossed with that famous stoic demeanor. But after a season that saw Garden City win only seven games, the second-year coach could only crack a smile after the Broncbusters first match of 2021.

Laren Baldowsky had eight kills, Reagan Karlin added seven, and Garden City completely overpowered Clarendon 25-14, 25-13 and 25-15 at Lamar Gymnasium. It was the Broncbusters first season-opening victory since 2017.

The brown and gold were the aggressors from the start. Pulelehua Keb finished off a powerful spike coupled with three unforced Clarendon errors that put Garden City up 4-0 in the opening set. Keb and Angel Sherman then combined for a double block, Remi Vargas tapped it softly over the net, and the Broncbusters led 14-7. Karlin, who originally committed to Creighton out of high school, looked very comfortable in her first collegiate match, teaming up with Sherman for a block before adding a crosscourt kill to give the Broncbusters an 11-point victory in the opening frame.

The second set was all Garden City.

With the score knotted at 6, Karlin's kill ignited a 19-7 run. She added back-to-back spikes, Baldowsky tallied an emphatic punch down the middle and a clean service ace to put the Broncbusters up 2-0.

In the final stanza, Clarendon jumped out to a 2-0 lead (first lead of the match). But Garden City rattled off seven straight points; then took their first double-digit advantage of the set on a Clarendon hitting error that made it 15-5. Emmah Sultz followed with a soft tap that split the middle of the Bulldogs alignment, Baldowsky added a block and a kill, and the Broncbusters polished off a three-set sweep.