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Lady Busters rally, thwart Trojans
Published 8/28/2008 in Sports : GCCC
By MIKE KESSINGER
mkessinger@gctelegram.com
Nikola Petrovic looked to the ground.
His arms folded across his chest, the Garden City Community College volleyball coach shook his head in disapproval Wednesday night. It was the third game of the Lady Broncbusters' home opener against Colby, and by the time Petrovic sat down, settled his right arm across the back of the chair next to him, the Lady Trojans had built a five-point lead.
That lead ballooned to 12-0, and the Trojans went on to win the game 25-14.
That temporary deficit, though, was erased as the Lady Busters came roaring back in the fourth game to upend the Trojans 25-18, and then continued their impressive turnaround by claiming the deciding game, 15-6.
"I try to let them fight for points, for everything," Petrovic said. "Pretty much I had to stand up in the fourth game and take the lead and finish it. We have freshmen at really important positions, and I think that inexperience right there is killing us."
The third game debacle was hard to describe, said Busters sophomore Jovana Radojevic.
"I don't know what exactly happened in that third game," she said. "We were so down in the game physically and mentally. I'm really proud of my teammates with the way we finished. I'm proud of the way we were able to push through it and do it the right way."
Radojevic, one of the Busters' four sophomores, paced them in their comeback as she finished with a match-high 22 kills. In the fifth game, Radojevic put Garden City (3-3, 1-0) up 5-3 with a kill, then followed with a service ace. Radojevic served four straight points before Colby scored again.
The Trojans never had a response to the Buster offense in games four and five, as the stagnant problems Garden City had early seemed to disappear as the match progressed.
"I was so mad after that third game," Radojevic said. "I was like 'I have to spike every ball,' and I think everybody was burned about that third game. I'm glad we made it through as a team. It wasn't one person that was hitting all the balls, it was serving and passing -- we made it as a team, as a group, and that's what matters."
Radojevic finished with six assisted blocks, which followed teammate Chancey Sebranek's eight. Sebranek also had two solo blocks. Freshman setter Rikia Trischuck had a team-high 25 assists, and freshman libero Melissa Gasho had a match-high 15 digs.
The win follows the Busters opening performance in the New Mexico Military Institute tournament in Roswell, N.M., on Friday and Saturday. Garden City finished 2-3, losing in the first round of bracket play Saturday.
With five freshmen on a nine-player roster, Petrovic said he expects the team to have problems settling in, but most of the trouble the Busters had Wednesday was the same as what they had in the weekend tournament.
"Honestly, I just believe we need a little more experience, a little more coachability right now from our kids," Petrovic said. "I have to learn how they're responding. They have to learn how I'm responding, and how we can communicate. That's the hardest thing to do."
The Busters have a week off before returning to their home court for a Jayhawk Conference match against Seward County at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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Garden City def. Colby 25-23, 19-25, 14-25, 25-18, 15-6.
Kills -- Colby, DaSilva 13; GCCC, Radojevic 22. Assists -- Colby, Sena 35; GCCC, Trischuk 25. Digs -- Colby, Merino 11; GCCC, Gasho 15, Radojevic 13. Blocks -- Colby, Paimon (1 solo, 1 assist), DaSilva (1 solo, 1 assist); GCCC, Sebranek, 2 solo, 8 assist); Radojevic (6 assist).
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