Volleyball Game Preview: Howell Vikings vs. Fort Zumwalt South Bulldogs

The Howell Vikings will challenge the Fort Zumwalt South Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Howell will be strutting in after a victory while Fort Zumwalt South will be coming in after a loss.

Howell is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over Liberty. The win continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won three in a row.

Meanwhile, Fort Zumwalt South faced Fort Zumwalt West in a battle between two of the state's top teams last Monday. The Bulldogs fell just short of the Jaguars by a score of 3-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Fort Zumwalt South started the match hot and won the first two sets, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-9.

Howell will have to contain Connor James as he made an impact in Fort Zumwalt South's last game. He had 13 digs and two assists.

Fort Zumwalt South's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 19-6-1. As for Howell, their victory bumped their record up to 15-16.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's game: Howell has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 4.5 aces per game. However, it's not like Fort Zumwalt South struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.