Volleyball Preview: Newton South Lions vs. Needham Rockets
After two games on the road, Newton South is heading back home. They will welcome the Needham Rockets at 6:45 p.m. on Monday. Newton South will be strutting in after a win while Needham will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Monday, Newton South narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Natick 3-2.
Natalie Huang had a dynamite game for Newton South, getting 19 digs. Josie Weiner was another key player, getting five aces.
Meanwhile, Needham didn't have quite enough to beat Newton North on Friday and fell 3-2. The Rockets haven't had much luck with the Tigers recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
In an exciting match in which no team claimed back-to-back wins, Needham sadly wound up on the wrong side. The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-13.
The losing side was boosted by Eleanore Alley, who had ten digs.
Even though they lost, Needham was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 16 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least seven aces in nine consecutive contests.
Newton South's win bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Needham, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 6-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Monday's game: Newton South has really dialed in their serving game this season, having averaged 11 aces per game. However, it's not like Needham struggles in that department as they've been averaging 13.4. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Newton South came out on top in a nail-biter against Needham in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. Will Newton South repeat their success, or does Needham have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
