Volleyball Game Preview: Santa Maria Saints vs. Pioneer Valley Panthers

Santa Maria hasn't had much luck against Pioneer Valley recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Saints will look to defend their home court against the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Santa Maria took a three-set loss the last time they faced off against San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Saints skirted past the Grizzlies 3-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Saints.

Meanwhile, Pioneer Valley came tearing into Friday's game with five straight wins , and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 3-1 win over the Warriors.

Pioneer Valley had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-10, 25-22.

Santa Maria better focus on containing Yahir Lopez and Israel Caravarin as the pair were huge in Pioneer Valley's win. Lopez had 19 digs and one assist, while Caravarin had seven digs. Those 19 digs gave Lopez a new career-high.

Santa Maria's victory bumped their record up to 4-20. As for Pioneer Valley, they pushed their record up to 17-16 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home.

Santa Maria suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Pioneer Valley in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Saints have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.