Cardinals start 2026 with a win
Fairmont edges J-W-P in four sets
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FAIRMONT - Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton seemed to take all the momentum. Fighting to push Thursday night's contest against Fairmont to a fifth and final set, the Bulldogs cut their deficit to 23-22, thanks to a pair of kills from Ryleigh Donner and Haylee Appel. The Cardinals needed an answer.
Following Lidya Gronewold's outside hit that brought Fairmont to the all-important match point, the Cardinals sealed the deal after Ashlynn Wolff's rally couldn't jump the net. Head coach Stacy Garbers, her team, and the fans packed inside the Cardinal gymnasium erupted in cheers at the final point.
Fairmont's 25-22, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory went beyond a tally in its win column. It started Garber's second year as head coach on the right foot.
"It's always great to start with a win," Garbers said. "We have been working really hard in practice, and I tell these girls that their future looks very bright. ...All I can say is that I'm so proud of these girls for the effort they gave tonight."
The Cardinals roster is made up of just three seniors. Overall, it's a youthful team that will have to take a step to the varsity level relatively quickly. Learning and developing on the fly in many situations. Tonight was an example of that growth.
Things didn't start efficiently for the home team, however. J-W-P got the opening set rolling with a quick 8-2 lead, some of that helped by a handful of Fairmont errors. A timeout from Garbers settled the Cardinals briefly, who then went on an eight-point scoring surge off of blocks from Kaylee Kloeckner and two Kynlee Beemer kills.
Fairmont's second big rally, this time five consecutive points, gave them the lead for good. A pair of Adylen Laven and a Jadyn Montgomery rejection fueled the fire. Another Kloeckner kill and a Beemer ace took set one.
"It just ties into us saying never give up and finish till the end," Garbers said. "And it definitely paid off there."
A second-set Bulldog victory paved the way for the most intense back-and-forth of the night in the third. Neither team gave up too much ground as they battled to take the one-point match lead.
But Montgomery chose the right time to collect one of her blocks in a crucial moment. The senior's deflection gave Fairmont a 21-19 lead, creating a hair of separation. The Bulldogs rallied quickly in the end. Wolff picked up two spikes to bring the score to 24-23.
The set-deciding point came off Harlee Fastnacht and Kloeckner. Their noise-cancelling block at the net eliminated any threat of J-W-P's comeback. It was the moment that decided the match, swinging the favor back to the Cardinals.
"That was a huge play," Garbers said. "They did awesome at the net. Lots of touches on lots of balls. We're a big team. We're going to get lots of touches at the net."
Fairmont carried a lead into the final set. Leading for most of the way, finishes from Montgomery, Laven and Kloeckner fueled a 19-14 advantage. An advantage that never broke until the final whistle.
Cardinal libero Nora Fitzgerald had a team-high 27 digs, with Lillian Ortega adding 12. Beemer and Montgomery had five kills apiece. Both Montgomery and Kloeckner had four blocks. Leading the set assists was Ella Wubbena, who finished with 22.
Multiple new faces stepped up in even bigger ways throughout the night. While Garbers knows this is just the start, the signs she and her coaching staff saw are promising.
"We are young, considering a lot of these girls played on C Squad last year, and now they are starting varsity," Garbers said. "We saw their potential in practice, and we hoped in this first game they would step up. And they absolutely did."