High school volleyball: Cardinal Newman tops Montgomery in 5 sets

Natalie Codding had 40 digs and Megan Vice was credited with 50 assists as Cardinal Newman’s volleyball team edged Montgomery in five sets Tuesday night in the Cardinals’ gym.

The scores were 25-27, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 and 15-8.

Cardinal Newman has won 11 in a row and is tied with Windsor atop the North Bay League standings. Both schools will carry 5-0 records when they square off Thursday night.

On Tuesday, Newman never trailed in the deciding fifth set. At one point, the Cardinals led 6-2, and Montgomery was never able to get closer.

“We were able to keep our composure after losing two of the first three sets,” Newman coach Jeff Nielson said.

“I was proud of the way the girls came back. They played gritty and gutted out a victory under pressure.”

The Newman offense was led by Lauren Jannicelli with 19 kills. Right behind her with 16 kills was Cassie Killleen.

For Montgomery, Mckenna LaForge was outstanding. The senior ended the night with 28 kills and 24 digs.

Montgomery coach Becky Stavropoulos was disappointed her team didn’t pull out the victory.

“We didn’t execute our game plan,” she said. “We hit a lot of balls right back to them.”

The Vikings are 2-3 in league and 10-5 overall.

Cardinal Newman’s record is 17-2.

WINDSOR 3, ?CASA GRANDE 0

At Windsor, the Jaguars won and remain tied with Cardinal Newman atop the NBL. The scores were 25-15, 25-15 and 25-21.

Allison Post led the way with 17 kills and seven digs. Destiny Clark had eight kills while Bridget Aikawa had 24 assists.

For the Gauchos, Kylie Brandt had 13 kills while Nadia Kaveh wound up with 11 assists.

MARIA CARRILLO 3,?SANTA ROSA 0

At Maria Carrillo, the Pumas line banged down?35 kills. The scores were 25-18, 25-17 and 25-15.

Ashley Jacob led the attack with 10 kills, Rachel Wright had seven put aways and Amanda Wright and Lindsay Heller had five each.

Carrillo is 4-1 and 11-2.

For Santa Rosa, Luisa Ciaffa wound up with six kills, two more than Makenzie Oden.

UKIAH 3,?RANCHO COTATE 0

At Ukiah, Emily Eaton’s eight kills led the Wildcats to their first league win. The scores were 25-19, 25-14 and 25-16.

Middle hitters Valentina Evans and Leila Achtoun each had six kills.

Setters Vicky Ruiz and Rilkey Mendoza were efficient all night for Ukiah (7-6 and 1-4).