Broncbusters Edge Hutchinson in Five-Set Thriller

Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics

Garden City, KS – Garden City outlasted Hutchinson in a momentum-swinging battle, winning 3–2 with set scores of 25–20, 23–25, 17–25, 25–23, 15–10.

The Busters set the tone in the opening frame. A stuff block from Jana Gita Kovacevic and Duru Karagoz jump-started a 5–3 surge, Katarina Miscevic dropped in an ace, and Karagoz finished a quick for 6–3. Garden rode balanced side-out volleyball to close it 25–20.

Hutch flipped the script in set two, stringing points behind Atlyn Proctor and Jaylynn McNeill to lead 16–13. Garden answered—Vitoria Reis served an ace and Andrea Djordjevic hammered two kills in a 20–17 push—but Hutchinson steadied late to take it 25–23.

Set three belonged to the Blue Dragons. A service-pressure burst from Clara Oliveira and Angela Reupena created separation through the middle, and despite a Miscevic ace and a Karagoz/Djordjevic block, Hutch closed 25–17 for a 2–1 match lead.

Facing elimination, Garden City showed its grit in the fourth. Miscevic's serve jolted a mini-run to 6–3, Hutch answered with a string of aces to go up 13–10, and then the Busters counterpunched. Miscevic ripped back-to-back aces to level 17–17, Karagoz scored twice in the middle, and Beatriz Da Cruz slammed two late kills to seal it 25–23 and force a fifth.

The tiebreak was all Busters early. Reis opened with an ace and set Djordjevic for 3–0; Da Cruz followed with an ace for 6–2. The block—Karagoz and Djordjevic—snuffed Hutch at the pins as the margin stretched to 10–3. Hutch trimmed it to 14–10 before a final error closed the door, 15–10.

Standouts:

• Andrea Djordjevic – clutch kills throughout, including key swings in sets 2, 4, and 5.

• Katarina Miscevic – multiple momentum-changing aces and timely back-row/at-the-net plays.

• Duru Karagoz – central presence with blocks and quicks at critical points.

• Beatriz Da Cruz – late-set scoring in the fourth and fifth to swing momentum.

• Vitoria Reis – steady hands at the controls with a fifth-set ace and numerous key assists.

Garden City's combination of serve pressure, late-set blocking, and composed side-outs carried the night—an identity win the Busters can build on heading into the next matchup.

Next Up: The Broncbusters host Seward County Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 PM at Conestoga Arena.