The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal volleyball team played in front of a home crowd to start the 2021 season on Thursday, August 26th.  The Cardinals are coming off a 10-9 season in 2020 losing to Chester in the Region 4B tournament in the SoDak 16 qualifying match.

St Mary returns two seniors from last year’s team, Courtney Brown and Addy Gilbert.  Head coach Sandra Heinitz said the team returns Ella Griffin, Maya Heinitz, Josie Baumberger, Whitney Warwick, and Jaycee Tebay as key players.  She also mentioned that new comers Brianna Lindeman, Katie Scherff, Madala Hanson, and Brianna Griffin will be players to watch for the Cardinals.

“This season I am excited to see our team continue to work hard and improve and to build upon our finish from last season.  Last year was our first winning season in quite some time at St Mary.  I hope to see our players continue to work together as a team, have great effort and attitude, and to compete every time we step out on the court.  I am excited to see what this team can accomplish,” said Coach Heinitz.

The Cardinals showed off the 2021 team with a win over the Alcester-Hudson Cubs in four sets.  They won by scores of 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, and 25-23.

St Mary fell behind early in the first set and found themselves trailing 16-8.  They started to find their groove and picked up some momentum, tying the match 19-19.  The Cubs were able to hold off the complete comeback by the Cardinals and win the first set 25-21.

But the momentum the Cardinals gained in the first set carried over throughout the rest of the match.  St Mary jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the second set, and they were able to cruise from there for the 25-17 win.  The third set started the same way as the second set.  St Mary got out to a quick lead early and again took at 25-17 win.  The two teams battled back and forth throughout the fourth set as neither team was able to get a lead of more than three points.  The Cardinals put together the late rally to take the fourth set 25-23 and win the match.

Brown finished the night with 16 kills, eight digs and four ace serves.  M. Heinitz added 10 kills, eight ace serves, and six digs.  E. Grifin had four kills, eight set assists, six ace serves, and four digs.  Lindeman had 13 set assists, five digs, three kills, two ace serves, and a block.  Gilbert finished with three kills, two digs, and two ace serves.  Hanson added eight set assists, and Josie Baumberger had eight digs.

The Cardinals (1-0) will play in the Estelline Tournament on Saturday, August 28th.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal volleyball team advanced to the SoDak16 Qualifying match of the Region 4B tournament with a win on Tuesday, but the post-season run ended there on Thursday, November 5th.  The Cardinals feel to the top-seeded Chester Area Flyers in Chester in straight sets by scores of 25-15, 25-13, and 25-10.

The Flyers were strong in all phases of the match.  Chester started the first set with a 10-2 run.  St Mary was only able to cut the lead to 11-6 before the Flyers went on another big run to make the score 20-10 as they went on to win the first set 25-15.

After a 2-2 tie score to start the second set, the Flyers went on another scoring spurt.  Chester went on a 10-2 run for a 12-4 lead.  The Cardinals again cut the lead to five points at 12-7, but the Flyers ended the set on a 13-6 run for a 25-13 win.

Chester started the third set with a 3-0 run, but St Mary responded with a 4-0 of their own to take a 4-3 lead.  The score remained close with Chester holding an 8-7 lead.  The Flyers then went on a 9-0 run for a 17-7 lead.  Chester took the set 25-10 for the match win.

Courtney Brown finished with 12 digs, seven kills, and two blocks.  Ella Heinitz had eight kills, eight set assists, six digs, and two ace serves.  Maya Heinitz added 11 digs and three kills.  Ella Griffin finished with eight set assists, three digs, two kills, and two blocks.  Macie Brown ended with four digs.

St Mary has their season come to an end with an overall record of 10-9.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal volleyball team kept their season going in the opening round of the Region 4B tournament on Tuesday, November 3rd.  St Mary, the fifth seed in the tournament, traveled to Ethan to play the Rustlers.  The Cardinals came home with a straight set win by scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-15.

The first set started back-and-forth as neither team was able to get a lead of more than two points.  St Mary started to make a run after the score was tied 8-8.  The Cardinals scored four in a row for a 12-8 lead, but the Rustlers tied the set again at 13-13.  St Mary again got a little run and led 19-15 only to have Ethan once again tie the score at 20-20.  The Rustlers kept the momentum going and took a 22-20 lead, but the Cardinals finished the set on a 5-0 run to win 25-22.

That run set the tone for the remainder of the match.  St Mary jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start the second set.  Ethan got within three points a couple of times, but the Cardinals pushed the lead to 22-13 and took the second set 25-18. 

St Mary again got out to an early 6-2 lead to start the third set.  Ethan cut the lead down to two points at 15-13, but a well taken timeout by the Cardinals ended any chance at a comeback by the Rustlers.  St Mary finished the set on a 10-2 run to 25-15 and take the match.

Courtney Brown had 10 kills, 12 digs, and two blocks on the night.  Ella Heinitz finished with 17 set assists, 16 digs, and eight kills.  Ella Griffin had nine kills along with eight set assists, 11 digs, and four blocks.  Maya Heinitz finished with a team-high four ace serves.  She also had five digs and four kills.  Macie Brown tallied six digs.

St Mary (10-8) will travel to Chester to play the Flyers on Thursday, November 5th.  The winner will advance to the SoDak 16.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals had their final regular season game in Garretson on Friday, October 30th.  The Cardinals fell to the Blue Dragons in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-19, and 27-25.

Garretson built a lead they wouldn’t lose about midway through the first set.  After the set was 6-4 in favor of the Blue Dragons, Garretson extended that lead to 12-6.  St Mary got within four points at 15-11, but Garretson finished the set on a 10-3 run for the win.

The second set started back-and-forth.  Garretson did get out to a three-point lead midway through the set, but St Mary kept it close.  The Cardinals were within a point at 17-16, but another late run by the Blue Dragons gave them a 25-19 second set victory.

Garretson raced out to a 6-1 lead in the third set.  The Cardinals would not be deterred by the fast start.  St Mary battled to tie the set at 13-13, and then took a 14-13 lead moments later.  The Cardinals were able to hold a two-point lead at 18-16 and 19-17, but the Blue Dragons went on another 6-1 for a 23-20 lead.  St Mary again battled back to tie the set at 23-23.  Garretson had match point at 24-23, but the Cardinals scored two in a row for a 25-24 advantage.  Garretson, however, scored the final three points to take the set 27-25 and win the match.

Courtney Brown finished with 16 kills and 10 digs.  Ella Heinitz had 18 digs, 17 set assists, and six kills.  Maya Heinitz finished with 15 digs.  Ella Griffin tallied 10 digs, eight set assists, four kills, and two blocks.  Macie Brown added five digs defensively.

The Cardinals finish the regular season with a 9-8 record and will be the #5 seed in the Region 4B tournament.  St Mary will travel to #4 seed Ethan on Tuesday, November 3rd for their first post-season match.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals played their final two regular season home matches on Monday, October 26th and Tuesday, October 27th.  The Cardinals earned a split in those two matches.

Colman-Egan came to Dell Rapids St Mary High School on Monday and went home with a four set win.  The Hawks took the first set with ease by a score of 25-11.  The Cardinals regrouped and led for most of the second set.  Colman-Egan finally tied the set late, but St Mary took the win 28-26 to even the match.  Colman-Egan, again, was able to get to a sizeable lead in the third set and won 25-13.  The two teams battled tough in the fourth set, but the Hawks ultimately took the fourth set 25-20 to win the match.

Courtney Brown helped lead the Cardinals with 10 kills and 18 digs.  Ella Heinitz had 21 digs, 11 set assists, and seven kills.  Maya Heinitz finished with 14 digs, and Macie Brown had 11 digs and two ace serves.  Jaycee Tebay finished with five kills, five digs, and two blocks.  Ella Griffin added 11 set assists, four digs, and three kills. 

Twenty-four hours later, the Cardinals hosted the Canistota Hawks on Tuesday.  St Mary was able to put  Monday behind them and  took the  match over Canistota in straight sets.

The first two sets were played very close.  In the opening set, the two teams were tied multiple times.   The Cardinals broke a 10-10 tie and scored four points in a row for a 14-10 lead.  The lead grew to 17-12.  The Hawks pulled within a couple of points a couple of times, but the Cardinals never lost the lead and won the first set 25-19.  The second set played out much like the first.  The Cardinals got out to a 13-7.  That lead grew to eight points at 18-10, and the Cardinals held on for a 25-21 win.  St Mary then completely cruised through the third set winning 25-5 to take the match.

C. Brown finished with 10 kills, 13 digs, and four ace serves.  E. Heinitz had 16 digs, 14 set assists, seven kills, and four ace serves.  M. Heinitz finished with eight digs and five kills.  Griffin added 10 set assists and seven kills.  M. Brown and Whitney Warwick both had six digs each.

The Cardinals (9-7) will end the regular season in Garretson on Friday, October 30th.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal volleyball team hosted a pair of matches on Thursday, October 22nd and Saturday, October 24th.

The Centerville Tornadoes came to St Mary High School on Thursday afternoond, and the Cardinals earned a straight-set match win by scores of 25-15, 25-19, and 25-14.

Courtney Brown had nine kills, eight digs, and five ace serves.  Ella Heinitz finished with 13 digs, eight set assists, seven kills and two ace serves.  Ella Griffin had seven set assists, four kills, three blocks, three digs, and three ace serves.  Maya Heinitz had five kills and three digs.

The Cardinals then hosted the Castlewood Warriors on Saturday afternoon.  The Warriors won in straight sets by scores of 25-15, 25-16, and 25-19.

Brown had a team-high 13 kills along with seven digs and two blocks.  E. Heinitz finished with nine digs, eight set assists, and four kills.  M. Heinitz had seven digs in the match.  Griffin added 10 set assists and seven digs.  Addy Gilbert finished with three digs and two kills.

St Mary (8-6) will host matches on back-to-back nights.  The Cardinals will host Colman-Egan on Monday, October 26th, and will then host Canistota on Tuesday, October 27th.  Both matches will be on Big Sioux Media.

It had been twelve days since the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals last played a volleyball match due to the Covid pandemic.  They were able to get back to action on Tuesday, October 20th.  St Mary hit the road to Elkton to play the Elkton-Lake Benton Elks, who received votes in the latest South Dakota media volleyball polls.

The Elks won the Dakota Valley Conference match-up in straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-21.

Courtney Brown had eight kills and six digs in the match.  Ella Heinitz, Maya Heinitz, and Addy Gilbert all had four kills each.  Whitney Warwick had three ace serves and eight digs.  E. Heinitz also had 10 set assists, 12 digs, and two ace serves.  Ella Griffin had a team-high 14 set assists, two ace serves, two kills and four digs.    M. Heinitz had seven digs as well.

St Mary (7-5) will host Centerville in an varsity-only match on Thursday, October 22nd at 4:00 p.m. prior to the playoff football game.  The Cardinals will also host Castlewood on Saturday, October 24th.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals traveled to Estelline to play the Estelline/Hendricks Redhawks on Thursday, October 8th.  Estelline/Hendricks took the match in straight sets.

The Redhawks opened up the first set with a 7-0 run and never looked back.  The lead grew to 17-7 and Estelline/Hendricks won the first set 25-12.

The second set went back and forth with neither team having a lead bigger than two points through the midway point of the game.  After the set was tied 18-18, Esetlline/Hendricks went ahead 21-18.  The Cardinals pulled within a point at 21-20, but the Redhawks held off the Cardinals for the 25-22 win.

The two teams were tied 4-4 and 6-6 to start the third set, with the Cardinals taking a short 7-6 lead.  Estelline/Hendricks then went on a 10-0 run for a 16-7 advantage.  The Redhawks won the set 25-14 to take the match.

Courtney Brown had three ace serves and four kills.  Macie Brown had five digs and an ace.  Maya Heinitz finished with eight digs, two kills, and a block.  Ella Heinitz had seven digs, three set assists and an ace serve.

St Mary (7-4) are scheduled to host Castlewood on Monday, October 12th and Centerville on Tuesday, October 13th.  The matches, if played, will be seen on Big Sioux Media.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal volleyball team won their seventh match of the season on Thursday, October 1st.  The Cardinals defeated the Lake Preston Divers in Lake Preston.

The Cardinals took control of the match right away and had no problems with the Divers.  St Mary won the first set 25-8 and then won the second set 25-15.  Lake Preston made it a little closer in the third, but St Mary took the straight-set match win with a 25-19 victory in the third set.

Courtney Brown had 11 kills, eight digs, five aces, and a block.  Ella Heinitz finished with 11 kills, 14 set assists, eight digs, five ace serves, and a block.  Ella Griffin finished with 13 set assists and six digs.  Maya Heinitz had eight digs, and Macie Brown had six digs.

St Mary (7-3) will continue to be on the road in their next two matches.  They will travel to Garretson on Tuesday, October 6th and then to Estelline on Thursday, October 8th.

Playing their second straight Class A team on back-to-back nights and coming off a big win over the Dell Rapids Quarriers, the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals fell to the Baltic Bulldogs in Baltic on Tuesday, September 29th.  The Bulldogs won in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-20, and 27-25.

The first set was a close battle that saw both teams have leads of three points early in the set.   The Cardinals had a three-point advantage at 14-11, but the Bulldogs scored the next five points to take a 16-14 lead.  The lead grew to six points at 22-16 and eventually to seven for the 25-18 win.

The second set was back-and-forth almost the entire way.  There were over 15 ties in the set between the two teams.  St Mary looked to have taken a slight advantage when they took an 19-16 lead.   Baltic scored the next four points to take the lead at 20-19.  The Cardinals forced another tie at 20-20, but Baltic scored the last five points for the 25-20 win.

The two teams played it close early in the third set as well.  The score was tied 8-8 before the Cardinals went on a 7-1 run for a 15-9 advantage.   The lead stayed at six points for St Mary at 23-17, but Baltic went on a 7-0 run to take a 24-23 lead.  The Cardinals tied the set at 24-24, and then Baltic had to tie it at 25-25.  The Bulldogs then scored the final two points for the 27-25 set win for the match.

Courtney Brown had eight kills and 13 digs in the match.  Ella Heinitz finished with 11 set assists, 10 digs, seven kills, two blocks, and two ace serves.  Ella Griffin had seven set assists, six digs, four kills, and four ace serves.  Macie Brown and Josie Baumberger both had seven digs.

The Cardinals (6-3) travel to Lake Preston on Thursday, October 1st.