Broome concluded their first day of the NJCAA Division III Volleyball Championships with two wins, advancing them to the semi-finals and keeping their undefeated record intact.
The Hornet’s first match of the day was against Brookhaven College from Texas. Broome won the first set 25-23, but suffered a big setback in the second set losing 12-25. Broome took back the momentum in the third set winning 25-10, and fought hard for the fourth set ultimately winning 25-20. Sara Zepkowski (Owego) led the Hornet offense with 13 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Zepkowski also led with 4 blocks. Teammates Kylee Cunningham (Johnson City) and Katherine Bennorth (Wanaque, NJ) each contributed 9 kills to the match. Mackenzie Struble (Owego) had a great game with 41 assists, a whopping 6 service aces, and 11 digs. Macey Gibson (Owego) also contributed 11 digs to the Hornet defense, while Libero Savannah Davis (Union-Endicott) led with 23 digs.
Broome’s win against Brookhaven advanced them to the quarter-finals of the tournament against the #4 seed, Central Lakes College from Minnesota. The Hornets swept the Raiders in 3 sets with scores of 25-20, 25-21, 25-22. Bennorth, Gibson, and Zepkowski all contributed a high of 6 kills. Gibson had a total of 6 service aces and contributed 8 digs, while Davis led the Broome defense with 10 digs. Struble dished out a total of 24 assists while Cunningham and Zepkowski totaled 4 blocks each.
Up next is a match against the #1 seed in the tournament, Rock Valley from Illinois, scheduled for a 6:00 pm EST on Friday evening.
Submitted by: Mike Huggler
Tags: Athletics
