After both having extra time off, the Northwestern Warriors and the Shawnee Braves will shake off the cobwebs and hit the court against one another at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
Northwestern is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering North Union just ended the team's six-match winning streak on Wednesday. They took a 3-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats.
Ava Berner
| 10/08/25 @ North Union | 19 |
| 10/07/25 vs Indian Lake | 26 |
| 10/01/25 @ Graham Local | 10 |
| 09/30/25 @ Shawnee | 16 |
| 09/25/25 vs Benjamin Logan | 20 |
| + 6 more games |
Despite the defeat, Northwestern got top-tier performance from Ava Berner, who had 19 digs and two aces. Berner has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more digs the last 11 times she's played. Claire Stott also deserves some recognition as she had her first block of the season.
Meanwhile, Shawnee didn't have quite enough to beat Benjamin Logan on Thursday and fell 3-2. The loss continues a trend for the Braves in their meetings with the Raiders: they've now lost nine in a row.
Shawnee took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The match finished with set scores of 25-18, 24-26, 23-25, 25-9, 15-9.
Northwestern will have to contain Taylor Harris as she made an impact in Shawnee's last game. She had nine digs.
Shawnee's defeat dropped their record down to 9-13. As for Northwestern, their loss dropped their record down to 14-8.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's matchup: Northwestern has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 9.9 aces per game. However, it's not like Shawnee struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.9 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northwestern beat Shawnee 3-1 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Do the Warriors have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Braves turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
