The Columbus Discoverers will head out to square off against the Lincoln Northeast Rockets on Tuesday. Columbus will be strutting in after a victory while Lincoln Northeast will be coming in after a loss.
Columbus will bounce into Tuesday's contest after beating Grand Island, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Discoverers walked away with a 2-0 win over the Islanders on Saturday.
While Columbus won a shutout, things came down to the wire in the second set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 25-22.
Columbus' success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Avery Bloebaum led the charge by getting 15 assists and four digs.
Meanwhile, Lincoln Northeast was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They took a 2-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Lincoln East.
While Lincoln Northeast was not able to make it on the board, they still kept things close, especially in the first set. The final score came out to 25-23, 25-17.
Columbus is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-13 record this season. As for Lincoln Northeast, their loss dropped their record down to 8-15.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's matchup: Columbus has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6 aces per game. However, it's not like Lincoln Northeast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Columbus beat Lincoln Northeast 2-0 in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Discoverers since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
