Newton Volleyball Picks Up Key Win Over Charleston, Finishes Second at St. Anthony Tournament
The Newton Eagles volleyball team strung together an important week of competition, highlighted by a straight-set win over Charleston on September 16 and a strong second-place finish at the St. Anthony Tournament on September 20.
September 16 – Newton vs. Charleston
The Eagles earned a program sweep over Charleston, with all three levels collecting victories. The freshmen won 25-22, 25-10, followed by a JV sweep 25-17, 25-21. The varsity closed the night with a gritty 25-23, 25-22 win to move to 7-8 on the season.
Senior Hydi Bierman and junior Allie Hermann led the offense with 6 kills each, while seniors Isabel Meinhart, Claire Probst, and Joslynn Pitcher chipped in 2 apiece. Setters Amy Shull (9 assists) and sophomore Emma Brooks (8 assists) directed the attack.
Defensively, Bierman paced the back row with 10 digs, supported by libero Morgan Schafer with 6. At the net, sophomore Stella Schackmann and Brooks each contributed a block. The Eagles also spread out the serving pressure, with Meinhart tallying 2 aces.
September 20 – St. Anthony Tournament
Newton carried that momentum into the weekend at the St. Anthony Tournament, where they battled through pool play and into the championship round before finishing second overall.
The Eagles opened with wins over Unity (25-17, 25-18) and Triad (25-19, 30-28), before falling to Waterloo (20-25, 20-25) to finish pool play 2-1. In crossover play, Newton rallied past host St. Anthony in three sets (20-25, 25-22, 15-13) to advance to the title match. The championship rematch with Waterloo was tightly contested, but the Eagles fell just short 21-25, 28-30 to finish runner-up.
Bierman and Hermann fueled the offense throughout the day, with 24 and 23 kills respectively. Meinhart added 17 kills, Schackmann 14, Pitcher 13, and Probst 9, giving Newton a balanced attack. Shull (41 assists) and sophomore Maleah Miller (34 assists) combined to keep the offense clicking, while Hermann and Bierman also contributed secondary setting when needed.
Defensively, Hermann was outstanding with 41 digs, followed by Bierman with 36 and Schafer with 31. Meinhart led the blocking front with 6, while Pitcher added 4. From the service line, Bierman delivered 6 aces, Schackmann 5, and Schafer 4 to keep opponents on their heels.
The tournament run pushed Newton’s record to 11-10, marking a winning surge after early-season struggles.
The Eagles continue their schedule this week looking to build on the momentum from their Charleston sweep and tournament success under head coach Jill Kistner.
