The Charger women's volleyball team competed against the Hastings College Broncos Friday night at the Newman Flanagan Center, splitting the first two sets before the Broncos claimed the final two to take a 3-1 victory.
Hastings controlled the opening set from the start, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and continuing to build its advantage. The Broncos extended the lead to 19-1 before Briar Cliff battled back with several late points. The Broncos took the opening set 25-6.
BCU responded with a strong second-set performance. Hastings opened the set with a 3-0 lead, but Briar Cliff steadily worked its way back. After trailing 10-5, the Chargers put together a 6-0 run to take an 11-10 advantage. The teams continued to trade points before Briar Cliff pulled ahead late. With the score tied at 22-22, the Chargers scored the final three points, including a service ace from
Mia Torchia and a kill from
Aliyah Rhynalds, to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 victory.
The third set remained competitive early, with Briar Cliff holding a 6-5 lead before Hastings responded with a 4-0 run. The Chargers stayed within reach at 13-11, but the Broncos created separation late and eventually took the set 25-17.
Briar Cliff opened the fourth set with a 4-1 advantage and continued to battle through a back-and-forth frame. The Chargers later tied the set at 17-17 after trailing 17-13, but Hastings answered with a 3-0 run. Briar Cliff cut the deficit to 23-21 late, but the Broncos scored the final two points to close out the match 25-21.
Emma Brenelli led the Chargers with nine kills, while
Brianna Wittrock added eight kills and hit .250. Rhynald's contributed seven kills and three block assists, while
Brooklyn Voss recorded six kills and four block assists.
Reese Strouth paced the Charger offense with 17 assists, while Torchia added 12 assists and two service aces. Strouth also recorded nine digs, while Torchia added eight.
Joana Neves and
Korbin Olorndami each contributed seven digs. At the net,
Aubrey Hoeft led Briar Cliff with five block assists.
The Chargers return to action Friday, October 2, traveling to Seward, NE to take on the No. 2 ranked Concordia Bulldogs.
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