Volleyball Game Preview: Palmyra Panthers vs. Southern Raiders

Palmyra is 9-1 against Southern since September of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Raiders at 5:00 p.m. The last three games Palmyra has played have been within one set, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

On Tuesday, Palmyra didn't have quite enough to beat Elmwood-Murdock and fell 2-1. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Knights 25-14 in the first set.

Palmyra started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last two. The final score came out to 14-25, 25-20, 25-13.

Meanwhile, Southern lost 3-0 to Bruning-Davenport/Shickley on Tuesday. The loss continues a trend for the Raiders in their meetings with the Eagles: they've now lost eight in a row.

While Southern ultimately came up short, they didn't go down without a fight: they scored at least 17 points in every set they played. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-21, 25-17.

Palmyra's defeat dropped their record down to 4-12. As for Southern, their loss dropped their record down to 7-13.

Palmyra beat Southern 2-0 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.