Buttermore Excited to See if Broncos Can Continue Success

HASTINGS – It would be hard to find an NAIA program that has had as much success as Hastings College in the past three years.

Despite playing in the toughest conference in the nation, Hastings has compiled an overall record of 86-16 in the past three years, including an astounding 41-7 mark in the GPAC. That includes trips to the round of 16 at the national championships in 2017 and 2015 and a national title in 2016.

Can this year’s version of the Broncos maintain that high level of play? Coach Matt Buttermore is pumped up to find out.

“I’m excited for this year as I think it will be very interesting. We are definitely a work in progress with almost everyone stepping into new roles and even positions this year, but that’s part of what makes it fun,” Buttermore said. “This first weekend is a great example as we will be without a returning HM All-American in Casey Krolikowski and her sister Emily, who likely would have seen some playing time. It will be a great opportunity to see some of our other players in extensive game action. We always like to take a long view of the season and of our development as individuals and as a team, and that perspective will be important as we figure out what works and what doesn’t this season.”

Apparently, what #10 Hastings did in its initial tournament to open the season this weekend in Georgia did work, as the Broncos went 4-0.

Hastings has two major holes to fill this year with the loss of 2017 GPAC Player of the Year Katie Placke at setter and 2016 & 2017 National Libero of the Year Jill Bax.

Here is a position-by-position look at Hastings College for 2018.

Setters

Clare Hamburger, 5’9, Sr., Hastings, Neb.

Claira Thede, 5’8, Soph., St. Paul, Neb.

Savana Quinn, 5’4, Soph., Oxford, Neb.

Kirsten Staab, 5’3, Fr., Broken Bow, Neb.

Carly Sutherland, 5’8, Fr., Pierce, Neb.

Hastings has been running a two-setter offense the past few years and Hamburger teamed with Placke last year in running the Broncos’ offense. Hamburger earned All-GPAC honors last year and has 1,514 career assists to go with 529 career digs. Thede will be the second setter for the Broncos. She appeared in just five sets a year ago, but through two matches this season she has 38 assists and 11 digs.

Pin Hitters

Sage Meyer, 6’0, Sr., Bellevue, Neb.

Lesley Fox, 5’8, Soph., St. Paul, Neb.

Elise Baumann, 5’10, Soph., Omaha, Neb.

Emily Krolikowski, 5’11, Fr., Cairo, Neb.

Cassidy Ostrand, 5’11, Jr., Central City, Neb.

Ally Ginkens, 5’9, Jr., Mullen, Neb.

Casey Krolikowski, 5’9, Sr., Cairo, Neb.

Matti Dabovich, 5’10, Sr., Pueblo West, Colo.

Lucy Skoch, 6’2, Soph., Hastings, Neb.

Danielle Bruha, 6’0, Soph., Ord, Neb.

Akela Dramse, 5’10, Fr., Bellevue, Neb.

Juliana Hernandez, 6’2, Fr., Ovid, Colo.

Claire Ostrand, 5’9, Fr., Central City, Neb.

Riley Sis, 5’9, Fr., McCook, Neb.

Tristin Smith, 5’6, Soph., Wilber, Neb.

Casey Krolikowski had 260 kills a year ago and handled 416 serve receptions and had 279 digs and 54 total blocks for the Broncos while earning All-GPAC honors. She and her freshman sister Emily are unavailable for the start of the season. After putting up – or rather, down – more than 750 kills her first two years, Meyer had her junior year cut short with an injury and was limited to 76 sets and had 121 kills, 184 digs and 323 serve receptions. She is back at full strength this year. After playing in the middle last year, Skoch will shift to the right pin, and all she did in the first two matches there this season was pound 38 kills while hitting .428 with two solo blocks and eight block assists. Fox figures to make a big impact in the back row while Cassidy Ostrand, Baumann, Dabovich and Ginkens all made big contributions in the opening weekend.

Middles

Emily Lenners, 6’1, Jr., Adams, Neb.

Danielle Shenk, 5’11, Sr., Polk, Neb.

Lenners steps into a starting role this season. In her first two years she had 17 kills and 12 total blocks. Oronically, in her first two matches as a starter this season she matched those numbers, putting up 17 kills and 12 total blocks while hitting .352. Shenk also is a first-year starter and had five kills while hitting .500 in the first two matches of the year.

Liberos/DS

Josie Dominguez, 5’2, Jr., McCook, Neb.

Casey Sutherland, 5’5, Jr., Pierce, Neb.

Rielyn Hoffman, 5’2, Sr., Chandler, Ariz.

Allisa Buck, 5’4, Soph., Shelby, Mont.

Ireland Currey, 5’5, Fr., Lincoln, Neb.

Bailey Lukasiewicz, 5’4, Fr., St. Paul, Neb.

Hailey Luzum, 5’7, Soph., Milligan, Neb.

Fox, listed as an outside hitter, had 18 digs in her first two matches for the Broncos while the core of returning players also saw significant time. Dominguez had 13 digs while Hoffman had eight and Sutherland had two.