Volleyball Game Preview: Sheridan Blackhawks vs. Elwood Panthers

The Sheridan Blackhawks will square off against the Elwood Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

On Saturday, Sheridan came up short against Clinton Central and fell 2-0. The Blackhawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back matches.

Meanwhile, Elwood lost 3-0 to Madison-Grant on Thursday. The Panthers have struggled against the Argylls recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.

While Elwood ultimately came up short, they really made Madison-Grant work, particularly in the third set. The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 25-21, 27-25.

Sheridan's defeat dropped their record down to 16-10. As for Elwood, their loss dropped their record down to 7-20.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: Sheridan has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 9.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Elwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.3 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Everything went Sheridan's way against Elwood in their previous meeting back in September, as Sheridan made off with a 3-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blackhawks since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.