Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – Tuesday night marked the end of the regular season as No. 19-ranked Midland University hosted Hastings College in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) match inside the Wikert Event Center. Prior to the match, the Warriors honored their four seniors and their families before taking on a longtime conference rival.
The Broncos, playing in their final match of the season with postseason hopes off the table, looked to play spoiler. They took the first two sets and narrowly fell in the third. That swing in momentum allowed Midland to rally for the reverse sweep, 17-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-12, 15-7.
Hastings controlled the opening set, turning an early advantage into a commanding 8-2 lead. The Broncos gave the Warriors fits with solid passing and efficient play within their system. A late five-point rally doubled their lead, and they cruised to a 25-17 win in the opener.
In the second, Midland came out strong with a quick 6-2 advantage, but couldn’t sustain it. Hastings responded with a long run that tied the set at 9-9 and pushed them in front 16-12. The Warriors couldn’t find their rhythm as the Broncos closed it out, 25-22, to go up two sets to none.
Needing a win to stay alive, Midland broke through in the third. After a tightly contested start, the Warriors went on a 7-2 run to push their lead to 15-9. Hastings kept battling but couldn’t close the gap, pulling within one late, 23-22, before an Avery Couch kill sealed a 25-22 win. The victory shifted momentum firmly in Midland’s favor.
The Warriors kept rolling in the fourth, doubling up the Broncos 14-7 and never looking back. Hastings couldn’t maintain service pressure as Midland took the set, 25-12, forcing a deciding fifth.
Momentum stayed with the Warriors in the final set. Hastings was forced to call a timeout, trailing 5-1 before the side switch. The Broncos clawed back to within three, 9-6, but Midland responded with a 6-1 closing run to complete the reverse sweep.
“This was just another chapter in our book of resiliency,” head coach Micah Rhodes said. “It wasn’t a pretty win by any means. I thought we came out really flat, with no energy, and didn’t control the things we needed to. But they showed once again that regardless of how they’re playing, their mentality is that they can still grind it out and find a way to win.”
A trio of Warriors led the way offensively. Lauren Jones and Brooklynn Snyder each finished with 13 kills, followed by Abree Plueger with 10. Lauren Williams and Avery Couch added seven apiece.
Coordinating the offense were setters Brena Mackling and Jaysa Wentzlaff. The duo guided the Warriors to a .190 hitting percentage, with Mackling recording 27 assists and Wentzlaff adding 22. Mackling also tallied 10 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.
Defensively, Claire Johnson led the team with 13 digs, followed by Delainey Cast with 10. At the net, Midland posted 11 total blocks, led by Couch with five block assists and one solo stop. Williams added four, while five others recorded multiple blocks as the Warriors held an 11-8 edge over Hastings.
“With this many young players, that’s really surprising but also something that makes me proud as a coach,” Rhodes added. “I thought Lefty [Williams] came in and had a great game. She hadn’t played a lot, so for her to come off the bench and provide a spark was huge. Avery also played well. It was one of those matches where some of the usual players struggled, and others stepped up. That’s a great team mentality to have.”
Midland (17-9, 12-4 GPAC) will be the No. 3 seed in the GPAC Postseason Tournament. Action begins Saturday when the Warriors host No. 7 seed College of Saint Mary (15-12, 8-8 GPAC). The teams have met twice this season, with Midland winning both in five sets. Round three is set for 7 p.m. on November 8 in Fremont.
