After both having extra time off, the Staples Wreckers and the Stamford Black Knights will shake off the rust and duke it out at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Staples barely beat Ludlowe the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Wreckers blew past the Falcons 3-0 on Monday. That three set margin sets a new team best for the Wreckers this season.
Not only was the match a shutout, it was a big one: Staples took every set by at least 13 points. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-9, 25-12, 25-11.
Meanwhile, Stamford faced Ridgefield in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Black Knights came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 3-1.
The victory didn't come easy: Ridgefield scored at least 19 points in every set. The match finished with set scores of 29-27, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19.
Staples better focus on containing MD Arfat Chowdhury and Alec Antipuesto as the pair were huge in Stamford's win. Chowdhury had 11 digs and four assists, while Antipuesto had 11 digs, ten kills, and eight aces. That's the most aces Antipuesto has posted over his last nine matchups. Christopher Aquino also deserves some recognition as he had his first kills of the season.
Stamford was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 14 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least seven aces every time they've taken the court this season.
The win made it two in a row for Staples and bumps their season record up to 3-2. As for Stamford, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2.
Staples might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Stamford in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Wreckers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
