Broncbusters Push Central Arizona to Five Sets in Invitational Battle

Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics

Cheyenne, WY – Garden City opened play at the Laramie County Community College Invitational with a marathon match against Central Arizona. The Broncbusters traded blows with the Vaqueras across five sets before ultimately falling 2–3 (24–26, 25–21, 23–25, 25–20, 8–15).

The match began with a nail-biter. Garden City's offense, paced by Andrea Djordjevic (18 kills, .325 hitting), fought point for point, but late miscues allowed Central Arizona to escape 26–24. The Busters responded in the second with a balanced attack. Beatriz Da Cruz and Jana Kovacevic each notched 10 kills, while Vitoria Reis dished out 27 assists, steering the team to a 25–21 win to even the match.

Set three was just as tight. Despite powerful swings from Djordjevic and a perfect hitting night from Kat Miscevic (.727, 8 kills), Garden City dropped the frame 25–23. Refusing to go away, the Busters stormed back in the fourth. Miscevic's net presence, paired with defensive work from Kamdyn Carr (18 digs) and Lexi Arwine (8 assists, steady passing), pushed Garden City to a 25–20 victory, forcing a decisive fifth set.

In the deciding frame, Central Arizona's front line controlled momentum early. Despite late defensive stands and an 11-ace performance overall from the Broncbusters' service game, the Vaqueras held on for a 15–8 win, sealing the five-set thriller.

By the Numbers

• Team Hitting Efficiency: .208

• Kills: 55 (Djordjevic – 18; Kovacevic & Da Cruz – 10 each; Miscevic – 8)

• Aces: 11 (Kovacevic – 4; Miscevic – 3; Carr – 2; Djordjevic & Reis – 1 each)

• Blocks: 14 total (Miscevic – 4; Karagoz – 3; Djordjevic – 2; Da Cruz – 3)

• Digs: 83 (Carr – 18; Kovacevic – 21; Djordjevic – 14)

The loss dropped Garden City to 2–3 on the young season, but the performance showed their grit against a strong Central Arizona squad. The Broncbusters will look to bounce back quickly as play continues at the LCCC Invitational.