Volleyball Game Preview: Oberlin Phoenix vs. Brookside Cardinals

Oberlin hasn't had much luck against Brookside recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Phoenix will welcome the Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

On Tuesday, Oberlin came up short against Keystone and fell 3-1.

Oberlin started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The final score came out to 23-25, 25-11, 25-18, 25-23.

Meanwhile, Brookside also suffered a loss in their last game, falling to Columbia by a score of 3-1. The Cardinals have struggled against the Raiders recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Brookside was was forced to take the loss, but they sure made Columbia work for it, especially in the second set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-20, 26-24, 21-25, 25-19.

Oberlin's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Brookside, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 3-4.

Oberlin couldn't quite get it done against Brookside when the teams last played back in October of 2024 as they fell 3-1. Thankfully for the Phoenix, Mari Banjoff (who had 16 digs and four aces) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.