By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa Indians volleyball team was back in action on Tuesday night in a conference match against the Newton Cardinals and came up short in a back-and-forth affair, 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 22-25, 21-25).
The opening set saw the two teams trade points at a relatively even clip. Neither team held a lead greater than 4 points at any given time. Seniors Cylee Smith and Morgan Frehse were featured heavily on the outside by Oskaloosa and Newton, respectively, racking up early kills. Late in the set, the Indians trailed 22-21, and the Cardinals finished strong by earning 3 of the final 4 points to win 25-22.
The second set began much like the first, with the two teams battling back and forth. Around the midway point, they were tied 11-11 when Oskaloosa embarked on one of their best runs of the night, scoring 8 of the following 9 points to jump ahead 19-12. They would hold onto that lead for the rest of the set, winning 25-18 to tie the match at 1-1. The Indians benefitted significantly from the return of senior outside hitter Hannah Van Arkel during their best periods of play on Tuesday night, and junior Reagan Stream also made plenty of key plays in the middle.
In the third set, the Indians and Cardinals traded runs. Newton came out of the gates hot, staking a 13-7 lead before Oskaloosa rallied back, outscoring the Cardinals 12-3 to go up 19-16. However, that momentum was snatched back by the Cardinals late, as they went on a 6-point run to fuel a 25-22 set victory, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals would maintain their strong play going into the fourth set, where it initially appeared as though the Indians had run out of gas. Newton shot out to a 15-5 lead, and they held a 20-11 advantage late in the set, but Oskaloosa dug deep as a group and mounted an impressive comeback effort. The Indians scored 8 of the following 9 points to draw within 2 points of the Cardinals at 21-19. The remaining points were scored on impressive efforts for both squads, but the Cardinals were able to successfully stave off the Indians’ comeback attempt and win 25-21, finishing the match with a 3-1 victory.
Oskaloosa (7-15) will host Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Thursday night for their next outing.
