Newton Eagles Earn 3rd Place Finish at Edwards County Tournament, Fall to Windsor/Stew-Stras in Non-Conference Play
The Newton Eagles varsity volleyball team had a strong showing over the weekend, competing in the Edwards County Tournament on Saturday, October 18, where they finished third in the Gold Bracket, before returning to action later in the day against Windsor/Stew-Stras.
Edwards County Tournament
Newton started the day strong in pool play, defeating Grayville in straight sets, 25-20 and 25-14. They followed that with a thrilling three-set win over Carterville, rallying after a narrow first-set loss to win 26-28, 25-18, 15-13.
In Gold Bracket play, the Eagles outlasted Effingham in another three-set battle (25-22, 25-27, 15-10) before dropping close matches to NCOE (21-25, 22-25) and host Edwards County (25-21, 25-27, 8-15) to take third place overall.
Strong performances led the Eagles on both sides of the net. Hydi Bierman tallied 37 kills and 3 aces, while Grace Schumacher added 21 kills and a team-high 45 digs. Stella Schackmann was solid at the net with 20 kills and 6 blocks. Isabel Meinhart chipped in 13 kills, 6 aces, and 5 blocks, while Claire Probst added 7 kills, 4 blocks, and 3 aces.
Setting duties were shared by Amy Shull (48 assists) and Paige Wagner (22 assists), with both contributing defensively as well. Morgan Schafer led the team from the back row with 40 digs and 6 aces. Joslynn Pitcher added 8 blocks, and Ashtyn Ochs served up 2 aces.
Newton’s strong tournament performance lifted their record to 19–14.
Match vs. Windsor/Stew-Stras
Later that evening, the Eagles faced a tough Windsor/Stew-Stras squad in a non-conference matchup. Newton’s freshman team picked up a straight-set win, 25-20, 25-15, but the JV and varsity squads fell short.
In varsity action, Newton battled back after dropping the first set 14-25 to win the second 25-22, before the Hatchets closed it out 11-25 in the third.
Bierman and Allie Hermann led the attack with 8 kills apiece, while Meinhart added 5 kills and 1 block. Shull and Wagner combined for 24 assists, and Hermann anchored the defense with 16 digs.
The loss moved the varsity record to 19–15 on the season.
The Eagles will return to action on Wednesday, October 23, when they travel to Paris. The Freshman team will play at 5:00 p.m., followed by the JV at 6:00 p.m., and Varsity at 7:00 p.m.
