The Highland Cardinals will head out on the road to face off against the River Ridge Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Highland is coming into the match hot, having won their last nine games.
Highland had to skate by with only a one-set margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the three-set drubbing they dealt Cassville on Tuesday. The Cardinals were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over the Comets.
One reason for the win was Highland's just kept getting better, winning each set by more points than the last. The final score came out to 25-16, 25-12, 25-9.
| 10/07/25 @ Cassville | 11 |
| 09/29/25 vs Belmont | 39 |
| 09/27/25 @ Richland Center | 18 |
| 09/27/25 vs Riverdale | 19 |
| 09/27/25 vs Prairie du Chien | 13 |
| 09/27/25 vs Seneca | 16 |
Highland can attribute much of their success to SUMARYN HALVERSON, who had 18 assists, and BRINLEIGH BOLLANT, who had 11 digs. BOLLANT is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 11 or more in each of the last six games she's played.
Highland was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 11 aces. That's the most aces they've posted in their last 12 matchups.
Meanwhile, River Ridge was able to grind out a solid victory over Belmont on Tuesday, taking the game 3-1. The Timberwolves haven't had any issues with the Braves recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
River Ridge 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 21-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-14.
Highland's record is now 17-4. As for River Ridge, their record now sits at 11-7.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Highland has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.3 aces per game. However, it's not like River Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Highland beat River Ridge 3-1 in their previous matchup back in September. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
