Pair of ranked opponents drop Newton volleyball at road triangular

NEVADA — The Newton volleyball team squared off against Nevada and Gladbrook-Reinbeck for the first time in at least a decade, but the Cardinals fell twice against a pair of ranked opponents on Thursday.

Class 4A No. 15 Nevada defeated Newton 25-20, 25-17 and then swept Gladbrook-Reinbeck 25-19, 25-18 during its home non-conference triangular.

The 1A No. 10 Rebels downed Newton 25-19, 25-18 in their matchup.

It was Newton’s first meeting ever against Gladbrook-Reinbeck, according to Bound. The Cardinals and Cubs faced off against each for the first time since 2015.

Isabelle Rawlins led Newton in the loss to the Rebels. She finished with 21 assists, three kills and five digs.

Addie Ratcliff put down a team-most seven kills, Morgan Frehse added five kills and 12 digs and Camryn Klein put down six kills and had three digs.

Faith Roffey and Olivia Bell totaled five digs each, Addy Cibula posted two assists and two kills, Sophie Greer tallied four digs and Emmy Gross contributed two kills.

The Cardinals (7-6) had a kill efficiency of .149 in the loss to G-R, but that number improved to .190 against the Cubs.

Newton served 38-of-39 with two aces in both matchups. Frehse was 9-of-9 in serves against the Rebels (6-5) and Greer and Rawlins both served 8-of-8 in the loss to the Cubs.

Rawlins is now 94-of-95 in serves this fall. She also had 22 assists in the match against Nevada (12-4).

Klein finished with a career-high nine kills and added six digs, Frehse chipped in seven kills and four digs and Greer contributed seven digs.

Frehse leads the Cardinals with 104 kills, and Klein has a team-most 67 digs.

Bell chipped in six digs, Roffey had five digs, Ratcliff put down four kills and Cibula registered two kills.