HONOLULU, HAWAII – The Cardinal Newman Volleyball team landed in Honolulu Wednesday with no official team practices yet completed outside of two days of tryouts. The Cardinals got a two hour practice that afternoon in Hawaii to prepare themselves for the toughest stretch of games in school history. Newman was competing in the Ann Kang Invitational, a tournament hosted by the 'Iolani School that features some of the top high school teams and players in the country.
The Cardinals, who finished 80th in California in the 2024 season and lost prominent players like Julia Waller, Nora Gonzalez, and Zoe Bardis, were not expected to make much noise in the tournament that was stacked with powerhouses like #2 Byron Nelson from Texas and #11 Sierra Canyon from Chatsworth.
However, that was not the case. While there weren't many wins, the Cardinals put pressure consistently on each team, showing their strength and chemistry. The tournament was formatted in two pool play groups of eight teams. Each team would play six games in pool play, and then the top four in each group would go to the gold bracket, five and six to the silver, and seven and eight to the bronze.
Five of the six pool play games for the Cardinals included top 100 teams in the country from 2024. On Thursday, the Cardinals began their treacherous trek through the tournament with Sierra Canyon, who finished eleventh in the country in 2024, winning the Mission League, and were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the CIF State Open Division Championship Playoffs by Mater Dei. Sierra Canyon took the first set, convincingly with a 25-14 victory, but Newman fought hard in the second set. The Cardinals kept it close, but the Trailblazers pulled away, winning the set 25-18, taking the game.
The Cardinals continued their rough road with Cornerstone Christian Warriors from San Antonio, Texas, who are coming off a 33-4 season that earned them the twelfth overall finish in the nation. The Warriors had been taken to three sets by the hosts 'Iolani earlier that morning in a thriller that ended in Cornerstone winning the third set, 16-14. They continued their dominant tournament run with a convincing win over CN, 25-12, 25-15. The Cardinals moved on to face the hosts, who were ranked 76th nationally last year, and the Cardinals fell again as 'Iolani held home-court advantage, winning 25-16, 25-11.
On Friday, Newman opened with Mira Costa from Manhattan Beach, who finished 35th in the country in 2024 and have one of the top hitters in the country in 6-3 Wisconsin commit Audrey Flanagan. The Cardinals had their best showing yet, keeping it close in both sets, but fell 25-19, 25-20.
Following their game with Mira Costa, Newman played the toughest team in the tournament, the National runner-up from Trophy Club, Texas, Byron Nelson, who has some of the top talents in the country including hitter Kylie Kleckner who is committed to Washington. Newman put the pressure on in set one, but Byron Nelson took the victory, 25-20, 25-15.
The Cardinals then faced Hawaii Baptist in their last game of pool play, one of the only unranked teams in the tournament and the Cardinals took advantage. Newman dominated their way to their first victory of the season, winning 25-11, 25-17.
This win paired with how well they had played in the pool earned the Cardinals the number six seed and a spot in the silver bracket over Huntington Beach, who had been one of the top teams in the country and the number one seed in the CIF Division 1 Playoffs last year.
The Cardinals were then slated to face #89 Bishop Gorman on Saturday. Gorman, the top team in Nevada, is stacked with premier talent, anchored by 6-4 hitter and Pitt commit Ayanna Watson as well as 5-9 setter Trinity Thompson who is also a Pitt commit. Newman fell to the Gaels in a tough 25-19, 25-10 defeat.
Despite the 1-6 record, Newman battled through tough games, finishing in the Top 12 of the tournament, and setting themselves up to be a contender in the North Coast Section this year. For a team who had had no practices and a lot of new players, the Cardinals held their own and the experience they received is unmatched, especially heading into a competitive NBL schedule.
"I think this level of competition has shown us how we can hold our own against these teams, we have benefited greatly from this and we are just excited to come back and show how strong we can compete," Senior Summer Binder said Saturday. She stressed the importance of Senior leadership, positivity, and confidence
The Cardinals have much more Senior leadership this year with nine players graduating in May and this leadership and chemistry was reflected with the Cardinals winning the Ann Kang "One Team Award" for positivity and sportsmanship. Binder is a three year veteran for this CN team and highlighted the importance of strong leadership.
"The best part of being a senior is being a leader to the younger girls. As a team, our 9 seniors have been focusing on having high energy and supportiveness on the bench and on the court." Binder tallied 27 kills alongside fellow senior Cienna Alvarez who led the team with 43 kills for the tournament. Binder also had nine blocks.
The Seniors weren't the only ones on the court for the Cardinals this week as many underclassmen made the trip as well. Sophomores Sabina Walsh and Addy Brockett were huge contributors to the Cardinals this week, working hard to establish themselves on the big stage.
Brockett played her first varsity games this week and explained how rewarding the experience was despite the losses, "It was a great experience that really bonded our team. We got to play multiple top-ranked teams in the nation which was such an amazing experience that really helped prepare us for the season. Not to mention the fun we had as a team on and off the court in Hawaii."
The trip allowed for the team to build a unique chemistry early on in the season that will not be matched by their early opponents. The Cardinals claiming the "One Team Award" shows the culture is already strong and positive this year which should lead to a great season and many more victories for CN. The Cardinals are back in action Thursday night in Napa against Vintage at 6:30 PM. Their next home game will be Saturday, September 6th at 1 PM against Petaluma.
