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Here's a collection of sports images that photographer Alex T. Paschal has chosen as his favorites of the year.

Here's a look at the 2022 SVM Volleyball All-Area Team, as well as the final stats leaderboard.

Newman junior hitter Jess Johns finished in the top 12 in the area in kills, digs and blocks to lead the Comets to the Class 1A state finals for the first time in program history, on her way to 2022 Sauk Valley Media Player of the Year honors.

Newman's Debbi Kelly is SVM's 2022 Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year after guiding the Comets to a 29-9-1 record and a fourth-place finish at the Class 1A state tournament.

The Newman Comets finished a 29-9-1 season Saturday morning, falling in the Class 1A third-place match to Norris City-Omaha-Enfield.

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Newman takes 4th in state falling to Norris City-Omaha-Enfield in two sets (25-17, 25-18).

After fast starts throughout the postseason for Newman, Friday morning’s Class 1A state semifinal against Freeport Aquin did not follow that same script. The Comets looked nervous and tentative on the big stage, and never led in either set in a 25-13, 25-16 loss to the Bulldogs.

Experience usually plays a huge factor the deeper you get into the postseason, and that was evident Friday morning in the first semifinal match at the IHSA Class 1A State Tournament at Redbird Arena between first-timer Newman and last year's third-place team Aquin.

Sauk Valley sports editor Ty Reynolds has live coverage from Friday morning’s IHSA Class 1A state volleyball semifinals between Newman Central Catholic and Aquin.