Jessica R. Wheeler
(IONE) – The Ione Cardinals and the Sherman Huskies have been practicing hard leading up to their first volleyball matchup — and it shows.
The teams met in Ione on Tuesday for their first official game of the abbreviated season, and the first officially sanctioned school game since fall 2019.
It was a tight contest, with rally scoring to 25 for the best three out of five matches. The Huskies took the first match down to the wire with a final score of 25-23. The Cardinals quickly took the next match 25-15.
The third round was fairly evenly matched, with both teams hovering within four points of each other. Down by four with a score of 22-18, Sherman suffered a few hits out of bounds and lost the match 25-18.
But the Huskies made a comeback in the fourth round, staying neck and neck with the Cardinals before edging out a win of 26-24.
The Cardinals dominated in the final match, easily pulling off their third win of the game with a final score of 15-9.
Junior varsity played shortly after varsity, with Sherman pulling out a win in just three matches.
It was clear players from both teams were glad to be back on the court for their short and rather unconventional early spring volleyball season. Sherman plays again at 5 p.m. Thursday at home against Echo.