:quality(70):focal(1026x531:1036x541)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/26CDGBBOKZAIRNYO73WQ727WY4.jpg)
KNOXVILLE — Sometimes it’s just not your night. And sometimes the team on the other side is just better.
That was the case on Tuesday during the Class 4A Region 6 volleyball matchup between Newton and Knoxville.
The Cardinals came into the night with plenty of momentum, but the Panthers dispatched their visitors 25-13, 25-19, 25-14 to advance.
“That was a tough one,” Newton head volleyball coach Heidi Woollums said. “Our serve receive was about 50/50, and when we don’t serve receive well we don’t play well. We missed serves at crucial times, too.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/JNGGKYNU7NDFXL6EDIVXAARO6M.jpg)
The Cardinals are 14-10 against Knoxville since 2008, but the Panthers (26-9) have now won seven in a row in the series. All seven wins were sweeps, but this is the first best-of-five set victory during that stretch.
The Panthers, who came into the night winners of nine of their past 11 matches, also downed Newton 2-0 during a tournament in September. The Cardinals end their season at 15-14.
“I respect Knoxville. They always have a tough team,” Woollums said. “I knew it was going to be tough coming in here.
“No. 8 on their side is amazing. She controls the entire floor. She distributes the ball well and is sly with how she tips.”
No. 8 is Brittany Bacorn. She finished with 18 assists, 10 kills, seven digs, three aces and three blocks in the Panthers’ win.
Kadance Ahn finished with a double-double for Newton. She tallied 11 kills and 10 digs, Delaney Woollums added nine kills and five digs and Macy Lampe chipped in 19 assists and six digs.
Hailey Sumpter registered four kills, two blocks and two digs, Gracie Clayton tallied three assists, two blocks and two digs and Chloe Swank chipped in nine digs.
Chloe Rorabaugh collected three digs and Addison White had two digs. The Cardinals were 43-of-46 in serves with two aces. The Panthers were 67-of-73 with eight aces.
“When we play well and win matches, it’s because we’re scrappy,” Coach Woollums said. “When we stand and watch the ball drop, it usually doesn’t go our way.
“The whole feel of Thursday was just different. And I’m not sure why we didn’t carry that over.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/477Z74ZZKZAAJFNHYCJW6BS444.jpg)
Coach Woollums felt like her team was ready to go. It was just one of those nights though.
“I felt like we wanted it. I felt like we were stuck in the mud though,” Coach Woollums said. “We even came in early. We met at our gym and did everything and then warmed up here in the second gym.”
Notes: Ahn capped the best prep season of her career with 338 kills, 261 digs, 35 blocks and 43 aces. Lampe had a career-best 531 assists and Swank tallied a career-high 267 digs and is at 701 career digs. ... Bacorn has registered 1,000 kills, 1,000 assists and 1,000 digs in her Knoxville career. … Ella Breazeale had 10 kills and Abbie Keitges contributed 14 digs in the win over the Cardinals. … White was 160-of-161 (99.6 percent) in serves this season, while Lampe served 233-of-242 (96.3) and Sumpter was 286-of-298 (96). Swank finished 197-of-206 (95.6) in serves and Delaney Woollums was 211-of-222 (95). … The most recent time before Tuesday that these two teams played a best-of-five match was in 2013 and Newton won 3-1. The last time the match did not end in a sweep either way was Sept. 4, 2014. ... The Cardinals posted their first winning season since going 26-13 in 2013. The 15 wins also are the most since Newton won 16 back in 2015.