April 23, 2024

Cardinals fall to Fillies in LHC match

By Jocelyn Sheets

Newton High’s Lucy Lilienthal tips the ball over the net during a home match earlier this season. The Cardinals came up short Tuesday in Little Hawkeye Conference action at Dallas Center-Grimes. (Jocelyn Sheets)

GRIMES — Newton High’s Cardinals had a slow start in their Little Hawkeye Conference volleyball match Tuesday against host Dallas Center-Grimes. They made the Fillies work in the final two sets, but lost 25-4 25-19, 25-11.

The Cardinals fall to 0-2 in LHC play. They are 2-3 overall with two non-conference matches on Thursday against North Polk and host South Tama, starting at 5 p.m. in Tama.

Newton returns to the friendly confines of the NHS gymnasium next Tuesday. The Cardinals play a conference match against Grinnell.

They also will honor the 30-year history of Cardinal volleyball as the first Newton High School volleyball team will be recognized. In 1987, Newton began its state sanctioned high school volleyball program.

The 1987 team will be honored prior to the varsity match, which is slated for 7:15 p.m.

Against the Fillies (7-3, 2-0), Carter Lee was credited with nine digs followed by Audrey Lucas and Harlie Durr with six digs apiece. Rachel Berkland had three digs, Kate Callaghan had two digs and Alexis Hoffman had one dig.

At the net for the Cardinals, Lucas put down four kills and Callaghan had three kills. Lucy Lilienthal had two kills while Lee and Hoffman each had one kill. Callaghan put up eight set assists.

Berkland, Madison Bleeker, Lilienthal, Hoffman and Lucas had one block assist apiece.

Lucas and Berkland led the Cardinals at the service line with two service aces each. Callaghan and Durr had an ace serve apiece.

“Both junior varsity teams fell in close sets to DCG, but they had great matches,” Newton assistant coach Holly Vander Pol said. “They are really improving and putting what they practice into play. It’s obvious they love the game and they’re working hard.”

No junior varsity scores were available at presstime.

In freshman volleyball action Tuesday, DCG won the A-team match 16-21, 21-15, 15-11 over Newton. Newton was 38-of-42 serving with six ace serves and had eight kills. Newton lost the B-team match 21-14, 21-17, going 17-of-25 from the service line with five aces and had two kills.

“We came out strong during the first set,” Newton freshman coach Eric Vander Velden said. “I was pleased with the effort. We were much improved from last week on serving and passing.”

The freshman and sophomore teams play at 6 p.m. Thursday against host North Polk in Alleman.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com