HCHS makes impressive second-place showing at Newton

 NEWTON (Sept. 30) -- If the Harlan Community volleyball team needed a shot of confidence for the final two weeks of the regular season, Saturday’s performance at the Newton Tournament should be just what the doctor ordered.
 Finishing 4-1 overall, the Cyclones swept 2nd-ranked (4A) Pella in pool play and nearly beat the Lady Dutch again in the championship match before settling for second place out of eight teams.
 Pella edged HCHS in the finals, 24-26, 25-23, 15-12, to defend its Newton team title and improve to 23-3 on the season. The Cyclones, now 12-8, beat the Lady Dutch 21-18, 22-20 to win Pool A after also sweeping Ottumwa (21-16, 21-11) and Carlisle (21-12, 21-12) at the start of the day.
 Following a 90-minute break while waiting for Pool B to finish, HCHS outlasted Boone in the semifinals (24-26, 25-21, 15-11) to set up the rematch with Pella. The Cyclones took the first set and led 21-18 in the second but couldn’t close the deal. The third set was tied 12-12 before Pella scored the last three points to win.
 “They kind of got their big (hitters) back up to the front row and we just couldn’t quite close it out,” said HCHS coach Willie Baughman. “They just had a little too much firepower for us right there at the end, but we competed really well against them and it was nice to see.”
 The Cyclones had lost six of their last eight matches following a 6-1 start to the year, so Saturday’s results should give the team a boost of confidence going into a tough slate of games this week. Baughman said it was nice to play some unfamiliar foes from a different part of the state and take a break from the rigors of the Hawkeye Ten Conference.
 Statistically, the Cyclones had a solid day with 21 aces in 12 sets, 40 blocks, a .901 serving percentage and a .206 kill efficiency.