Comets claim first crown since 1997 Star o

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The Newman volleyball team celebrates its Class 2A Rock Falls Regional championship Saturday night at Tabor Gym. The Comets beat Rock Falls 25-18, 25-22 for the title. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@svnmail.com)

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ROCK FALLS – Sarah Prendergast and her Newman teammates got their fill of plaques this week.

During practice, the Comets got an eyeful of regional title plaques won by Newman’s 1996 and ’97 teams. Each day the hardware was placed on a bench in the gym – a reminder it’s been 12 years since the last regional title.

“It was a great incentive during practice to look over and see that,” Prendergast said. “We were reminded of that quite often.”

On Saturday night, the Comets added to their plaque collection after a 25-18, 25-22 victory over Rock Falls in the championship game of the Rock Falls Regional. Newman seniors Prendergast and Kaitlyn Hunsberger collected the hardware from Rock Falls athletic director Rich Montgomery and showed it off to their fans.

“This group, they are a confident bunch and they’ve had lots of experience playing in big games,” Newman coach Jay Howell said. “Rock Falls was tough, but we made just enough plays to pull it out.”

The Comets (20-9) set the tone for the night by converting 17 kills in the first game. Sarah Kapp had five of them in the team’s first seven points, and she put away a short ball at the net for the deciding point.

“We are a power team,” Hunsberger said, “and we wanted to use our power tonight to win the regional. We knew they’d get the balls up, but we wanted to keep hitting them at them because we knew eventually they wouldn’t get all of them.”

Rock Falls (18-17) put up more of a fight in the second game, and led 20-19 after a kill from Cheyenne Burnett. The Comets tied it up on a kill from Prendergast, then took advantage of some miscues from the Rockets.

A kill from Hunsberger made it 24-22, then a combined block from Hunsberger and Danika McKenna finished it off.

“We knew Rock Falls would dig everything,” Howell said, “but the girls wanted it. They knew they had to go take the game from them and they were really aggressive tonight.”

Prendergast had nine points, eight digs and five kills to lead Newman. Sarah Cesarek finished with 15 digs and Kaitlon Busser added 15 assists.

For the Rockets, Addesyn Nailor had 10 assists and eight digs, Morgan Mammosser had seven kills and Linsey Brown and Ellie Henson added five each.

Rock Falls coach Sheila Mammosser thought her team had more to give against their neighboring rivals.

“We were flat, flat as all can be,” Mammosser said. “There was zero intensity. The crowd wasn’t intense. I don’t even think Newman was intense. I didn’t think it was a very well-played match by either team. I thought we made a lot of mistakes and we pretty much gave them the match. I don’t think we made them earn it and that’s what’s disappointing.

“Newman is a very good team and I don’t have any problem losing to a very good team. You just want to make them beat you, and I thought we beat ourselves.”

Next up for Newman is the Oregon Sectional, where it will take on Harvard on Tuesday. The Hornets defeated Rockford Lutheran 25-15, 25-15 to win their own regional.

“We definitely have confidence to keep moving,” Prendergast said. “We’re not satisfied with where we are. This is an awesome accomplishment, but we’re not ready to be done yet.”

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