Cardinals Sweep Their Way Back to Regional Final

DEVILS LAKE (NewsDakota)- In their first postseason match after a bye, there were ups and downs for the top-ranked Carrington Cardinals. In the end, though, it was another win. Behind more balanced offense, the Cardinals won their 25th consecutive match with a sweep (25-17, 25-20, 25-9) of Grafton in the Region 2A Semifinals to advance to Thursday night s Regional Final. The match began perfectly for Carrington (34-2), as Aniston Hoornaert served six straight points for an early 7-1 lead that would not be relinquished.  The Cardinals were perfect from the service line in the set and Calleigh Hewitt had five kills. The second set was a bit more nervy for Carrington, as Grafton (12-19) got Sheyenne Blackcloud (8 kills) going offensively but Carrington stayed steady and with Harper Kollman and Maara Kutz leading the way, the Cards took the lead on a 8-1 run to take a 19-16 lead, and from there Carrington too control for a 2-0 lead. The third set was dominant.  The Cardinals scored eight o