The Newton Eagles have wasted little time making their mark on the 2026 volleyball season.
After opening the season with a hard-fought victory over Effingham on Thursday, Newton traveled to the Fairfield Kickoff Tournament Friday and came away with four more wins and the tournament championship, improving to a perfect 5-0 on the season.
Eagles Rally Past Effingham in Home Opener
Newton opened its home schedule Thursday against the Effingham Flaming Hearts, and it took a comeback effort to get the job done.
The Eagles dropped the opening set 27-25, but responded with a strong second set, cruising to a 25-15 victory. Newton carried that momentum into the deciding third set, winning 25-18 to secure the 2-1 victory.
The win gave Newton a 1-0 start to the season and dropped Effingham to 1-1.
Newton Claims Fairfield Tournament
The Eagles followed Thursday’s victory by taking care of business at the Fairfield Kickoff Tournament on Friday.
Newton opened pool play with a pair of convincing wins, defeating Cisne 25-10, 25-13 before knocking off Carmi 25-14, 25-21.
The Eagles advanced to the Gold Bracket, where the matches became much tighter.
Newton battled Fairfield to a 25-20, 23-25, 15-11 victory before meeting NCOE in the championship match.
The Eagles again found themselves in a three-set battle. After winning the opening set 25-17 and dropping the second 25-23, Newton closed out NCOE 15-11 in the deciding set to capture the Fairfield Kickoff Tournament championship.
Three Newton players earned All-Tournament Team honors. Layla Thomann, Jossie Stanley and Stella Schackmann were recognized, with Schackmann earning tournament MVP honors.
Balanced Attack Leads Eagles
Newton’s offensive attack was led by Allie Hermann with 26 kills, while Thomann finished with 25. Claire Probst added 22 kills and Schackmann recorded 20.
Grace Schumacher contributed nine kills, Stanley had six, Brooks three and Wagner two.
Stanley was the primary distributor for the Eagles, finishing with 76 assists. Probst and Hermann each added four assists, while Wagner and Miller had two apiece.
Hermann also paced the Newton defense with 34 digs. Thomann finished with 22 digs, Stanley 19, Probst 16 and Schumacher 15. Schackmann added 10, while Brooks had eight.
At the service line, Stanley recorded a team-high five aces, followed by Probst with four. Miller, Earnest and Brooks each added an ace.
Probst led Newton at the net with six blocks. Stanley recorded three, while Schackmann and Schumacher each had two and Thomann added one.
After opening the season with five consecutive victories and a tournament championship, the Eagles will look to keep their perfect record intact when they return home Monday, Aug. 31, against Dieterich.
Freshman action is scheduled for 5 p.m., junior varsity at 6 p.m., and varsity at 7 p.m.
Newton enters Monday’s match with a 5-0 record.
Submitted Photos:
Photos by Damien and Mindy Hartke
