The Newman Catholic Fighting Cardinals will square off against the Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran Lancers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Newman Catholic will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Newman Catholic is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Everything went their way against Athens as they made off with a 3-0 victory.
The final score came out to 25-14, 25-18, 25-15.
Kate Kerns
| 10/25/25 vs Athens | 17 |
| 10/23/25 vs Northland Lutheran | 13 |
| 10/18/25 vs Edgar | 6 |
| 10/18/25 vs Northland Pines | 10 |
| 10/18/25 vs Stockbridge | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
Newman Catholic's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Kate Kerns, who had 17 assists and four digs. That's the most assists Kerns has posted over her last seven matches.
Newman Catholic was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 17 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Saturday Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran sidestepped Owen-Withee for a 3-2 win.
Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first two sets, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 22-25, 25-27, 25-17, 25-23, 15-7.
Newman Catholic better keep an eye on Gwyneth Gurgel. She was instrumental in Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran's win, getting 12 digs.
Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran's victory bumped their record up to 19-16. As for Newman Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 25-16.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Newman Catholic has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.9 aces per game. However, it's not like Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Newman Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran when the teams last played back in September, winning 2-0. Will the Fighting Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Lancers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
