Photos by Damien Hartke
The Newton Eagles volleyball team opened their 2025 season with a full slate of matches, splitting contests against Effingham on Aug. 28 before heading into a challenging Fairfield Kickoff Tournament over the weekend.
On Thursday, the Eagles’ freshman squad earned a three-set victory over Effingham, 25-13, 22-25, 15-11. The JV team followed with a tight two-set win, 26-24, 25-23. In varsity action, Newton battled through three competitive sets but fell short, 23-25, 26-24, 19-25, starting their season 0-1.
Effingham Varsity Stat Leaders:
- Aces: Bierman 2, Hermann 1
- Kills: Bierman 9, Schackmann 6, Pitcher 6, Meinhart 5, Hermann 4, Probst 4, Shull 1
- Assists: Shull 16, Brooks 12, Bierman 1, Probst 1
- Digs: Bierman 26, Hermann 18, Schafer 13, Meinhart 7, Schackmann 4, Probst 3, Shull 3, Brooks 3, Holder 1
- Blocks: Pitcher 3, Meinhart 2, Schackmann 1, Probst 1
The Eagles carried that competitive spirit into the Fairfield Kickoff Tournament on Saturday, where they showed flashes of strong play against tough competition.
In pool play, Newton swept both of its matches, defeating Lawrenceville 25-13, 25-19 and Carbondale 25-15, 25-19, earning a spot in the gold bracket.
The gold bracket brought even stiffer challenges, with the Eagles falling to Fairfield in a hard-fought three-setter (25-18, 13-25, 11-15) and to Carmi in straight sets (13-25, 26-28). Newton finished fourth in the gold bracket with an overall record of 2-3 on the young season.
Tournament Stat Leaders:
- Aces: Schafer 6, Hermann 5, Probst 4, Bierman 3, Meinhart 2
- Kills: Bierman 25, Hermann 20, Meinhart 13, Probst 9, Pitcher 8, Schackmann 4, Schumacher 3, Shull 1
- Assists: Shull 33, Miller 33, Hermann 6, Bierman 3, Schafer 1, Meinhart 1, Schumacher 1
- Digs: Hermann 24, Bierman 23, Schafer 22, Shull 8, Miller 5, Probst 3, Holder 2, Schackmann 1, Meinhart 1, Schumacher 1, Pitcher 1
- Blocks: Pitcher 3, Schackmann 3, Bierman 1, Meinhart 1
Newton will look to build on its early progress when the Eagles return to the court Tuesday, Sept. 2, at home against Altamont. The freshman match begins at 5 p.m., JV at 6 p.m., and varsity at 7 p.m.
