GROTON -- Aberdeen Roncalli turned to its big-match experience when it mattered most Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers, who have plenty of new players this season, relied on their veterans in a 25-20, 25-21, 24-26, 25-21 Northeast Conference win over Groton.
"All four of them were tight games and it's nice to have some experience out there that we can count on," said Roncalli coach Mandy Lee. "It's been nice for us to have some of those key players to come back."
Those players who were members of Roncalli's state tournament team last year include Bitsy Fjeldheim, Hailey KIine, Kate Heintzman and Devin Livermont.
All played major roles in the win against Groton.
"We had a lot of success from the outside tonight with Bitsy Fjeldheim and Hailey Kline," Lee said. "We had some serves from Kate Heintzman that allowed us to rattle off some points."
Then there was Livermont, who Lee said, "Really stepped up and gave us some opportunities to set up plays."
Kline finished with 10 kills and three aces, while Fjeldheim contributed nine kills. Heintzman had 15 assists and Livermont added 20 digs.
Camille Sippel powered Groton with 10 kills. Courtney Kurtz added six kills and five aces.
The two teams be back at it again in the near future.
"We'll see them again in a week," Lee pointed out. "They'll be on our court next Thursday."
Roncalli, 2-0 on the season, heads to Britton on Thursday to face Britton-Hecla in another NEC match. The Cavaliers then compete in a tournament in Clark on Saturday.
Serving: Aberdeen Roncalli 62-73 10 aces (Hailey Kline 11-12 3 aces, Mikayla Malsam, 12-14 2 aces); Groton 77-92 7 aces (Courtney Kurtz 27-29 5 aces, Halle Dohman 14-16 2 aces).
Hitting: Aberdeen Roncalli 32-96 (Kline 10-33 10 kills, Bitsy Fjeldheim 9-22 9 kills); Groton 65-90 32 kills (Camille Sippel 19-24 10 kills, Kylie Hawkins 14-20 6 kills, Kurtz 8-11 6 kills).
Setting: Aberdeen Roncalli 32 assists (Heintzman 15 assists, Kenzie Martin 6 assists); Groton 97-101 28 assists (Kurtz 81-85 22 assists, Regan Lewandowski 7-7 2 assists).
Digs: Aberdeen Roncalli 34 (Devin Livermont 20, Malsam 6); Groton 40 (Kasey Waage 9, Hawkins 9).
Blocks: Aberdeen Roncalli (Mariah Goetz 2 assists, Kline 1 assist, Fjeldheim 1 assist); Groton 3 solos (Josie Doeden 2 solos).
Records: Aberdeen Roncalli 2-0; Groton 1-2.
JV Match: Aberdeen Roncalli 25-17, 16-25, 15-13.
C Match: Groton 25-20, 25-12.