Volleyball Game Preview: Ponder Lions vs. Grapevine Mustangs

Ponder is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Grapevine is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Lions will host the Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Makaylee Ruiz

Digs

10/21/25 @ Callisburg	23
10/17/25 vs Pilot Point	14
10/14/25 @ Valley View	12
10/10/25 @ Paradise	21
10/07/25 @ Boyd	23

If Callisburg wanted to avenge their loss from the last time they played Ponder, they should've done a better job of containing Makaylee Ruiz. The Lions put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 3-0 win on Tuesday for which the team can thank Ruiz, who had 23 digs and two aces. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 12 or more in each of the last five games she's played.

The match finished with set scores of 25-14, 25-20, 25-9.

Meanwhile, Grapevine beat Richland 3-1 on Tuesday.

The final score came out to 25-16, 26-28, 26-24, 25-23.

Grapevine found their leader in freshman Prescott Carey, who had 18 digs and two assists. Finley Love was another key player, getting 41 assists and nine digs.

Ponder's victory bumped their record up to 25-11. As for Grapevine, their win bumped their record up to 22-18.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Ponder has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Grapevine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.