Garden City earns first win of fall season

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Trinidad, CO-Garden City could have easily folded after a disastrous first set Saturday morning. Instead, Patrick Hiltz's team played inspired volleyball, rallying back to beat Otero in four sets 13-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-23 at the SOCO Classic at Trinidad State.

The first frame was pretty much a blur. The Broncbusters trailed 6-0 early and never recovered. Eventually, Otero extended to a double-digit advantage, closing the set on the heels of back-to-back unforced errors committed by Patrick Hiltz's team.

But Garden City answered in a resounding way in the second. The brown and gold broke open a one-point match with a 14-2 run, opening a 20-7 cushion. Moments later, Giorgia Cappelletti's spike ricocheted off the right shoulder of Neza Pec, evening things up at a set apiece.  

It was all Garden City from there.

Cappelletti's service ace capped a masterful 12-1 run to close the third, before Vanja Stefanovic's swing looped inside the right sideline, helping the Broncbusters erase a seven-point deficit with a 12-3 surge to close the match.