The Daily Standard
Story Archive
New Bremen's Ashtyn Eilerman (1) goes up for a spike during Tuesday's MAC volleyball match with Coldwater at the Nest. The Cardinals won in four sets to secure at least a share of the MAC title.
NEW BREMEN - New Bremen entered the night needing a win and a St. Henry loss to clinch at least a share of the Midwest Athletic Conference title. After a 26-24, 25-19, 15-25, 25-21 win over Coldwater at the Nest and a Versailles victory over the Redskins, New Bremen secured a share.
It is the first time since 2023 the Cardinals have had at least a share of the title (in a three-way tie with St. Henry and Coldwater). New Bremen has not outright won the MAC since 2021.
"The growth that this team made from March until now is the most growth that I have seen in any team that I've coached for the past 16 years," New Bremen Coach Diana Kramer said. "From where we were to where we are now is a testament to these kids."
Their match against Coldwater Tuesday was played with the intensity of a top-seeded MAC game. The first set was back and forth early, as the teams split the first 20 points after a Campbell Etzler kill for Coldwater. That kill sparked a small run by the Cavaliers, who took a 12-10 lead after an ace by Etzler.
New Bremen responded, as Mary Rindler got the serve and ran with it. A pair of aces highlighted what was a five point run by the Cardinals, who took a 15-12 lead and forced a Coldwater timeout. Rindler finished the match with five aces, a team high.
The Cavaliers eventually got the serve back, but could not sustain a run. Both teams battled point after point until the pair of Rindler and Maria Kramer blocked a Coldwater shot to push the lead to 19-15.
New Bremen's MariAna Muether (2) goes up for a spike as Coldwater's Keira Knapke tries for a block.
New Bremen faced some pressure from Coldwater in the first set, but eventually a MariAna Muether kill put the Cardinals on the doorstep of a set win, 24-19. Coldwater was not done however, and after a service error by New Bremen, the Cavs got the serve back with Brylee Knapke.
Kills by Paige Ontrop and Harlow Heyne got a run going at 24-22. New Bremen hit a shot long to give Coldwater another point, before Ella Werling got a kill to tie the set at 24-all.
The Cardinals did not panic, as a Coldwater error gave the ball back to New Bremen up 25-24. With Allie Bornhorst serving, a kill by Ashtyn Eilerman gave the Cardinals a first set victory.
With a 1-0 lead, New Bremen opened up the second set with the same intensity. They opened the set up 4-2 after a Muether kill. Coldwater was able to tie the set later at 6-all, but could not grab the lead.
A kill by Rindler eventually gave the Cardinals the lead at 8-7, with the serve. A quick three point swing followed, as Kramer got a kill to give the home team some breathing room at 11-7. It forced a Coldwater timeout, and the Cavaliers won the next point on an Etzler kill.
While Coldwater got a point off the serve, it was New Bremen who found momentum after. The Cardinals rattled off a few points in a row, including an ace by Rindler to take a 16-10 lead, and another Cavalier timeout was called.
The timeout swung the set for a time, as Coldwater took advantage of New Bremen's mistakes to make the score 16-14. A Muether kill ended the run, but eventually Coldwater got the point back on a Ontrop kill themselves.
With the score sitting at 18-15, Eilerman got New Bremen the serve back on a kill. Back and forth they went, and eventually the Cardinals took a 21-18 lead. They then won four of the last five points, the final of which on a Muether kill, to win the set and lead the match 2-0.
Coldwater wasn't going to go down quietly. The 2024 MAC and Division VI state champs defended well and won seven of the first 10 points of set three. The momentum was with the Cavs, whose lead swelled to 18-10 after a Heyne kill.
New Bremen tried anything, including both timeouts, to stop the Coldwater run, but nothing worked. The Cavs were determined to continue the match, as three aces in a row by Werling gave Coldwater a 25-15 set win.
"Our middle transition worked for us. Our service got a little bit better, and we were more aggressive," Coldwater Coach Nikki Etzler said.
The momentum continues for the Cavs, who won the opening three points of the fourth set. After they got on the board, New Bremen found its own momentum. A kill by the Cardinals tied the set at 3-all, before a Coldwater error gave New Bremen a 4-3 lead.
Coldwater's Mia Knapke keeps the ball from going into the net during Tuesday's match.
Coldwater fought back, and was able to tie it at 5-all on a Mia Knapke kill. After both teams traded points, a Kramer kill gave the Cardinals a 7-6 lead. That began a good run by the hosts, who went up 10-7 after a Coldwater shot went long.
"(The players) knew after that third set that they didn't play good, and Coldwater did. We knew we had to turn the tide in the fourth set," Kramer said.
Three Coldwater points in a row tied the set at 10-all, before New Bremen took an 11-10 lead on a Julia Tangeman block.
The lead did not last long, and Coldwater eventually took a 15-13 lead after pair of mistakes by New Bremen. Another Muether kill gave the Cardinals the serve trailing 15-14.
It was then all New Bremen, as a run of points was started by a Bornhorst ace. A Muether kill eventually put the home team up 18-15, before Coldwater could get the serve back.
New Bremen then rode the wave of the set, as both teams traded points. A kill by Tangeman put the Cardinals up 22-20. Coldwater could only manage one more point after that, as a block by Tangeman ended the set at 25-21 and gave New Bremen the 3-1 victory.
"The first, second, and fourth sets were dogfights and for us to come away with and finish the dogfight at the end, it speaks volume to how hard my team has worked," Kramer said.
Up next for the Cardinals is a match with New Knoxville on Thursday at the Barn. A win sees them win the MAC outright. Coldwater will look to halt its two-game skid against Minster on Thursday in Auglaize County.
