Lancaster is 0-10 against Pickerington Central since September of 2021 but things could change on Wednesday. The Golden Gales will head out on the road to face off against the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lancaster took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They won by a set and slipped past Hilliard Davidson 3-2. The win continues a trend for the Golden Gales in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won five in a row.
Lancaster had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first two sets, they turned around to win the next three. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 26-28, 13-25, 25-17, 25-10, 15-8.
Bella McKnight
| 10/20/25 vs Hilliard Davidson | 44 |
| 10/09/25 @ Newark | 27 |
| 10/07/25 vs Canal Winchester | 34 |
| 10/02/25 vs Reynoldsburg | 34 |
| 09/30/25 @ Logan | 14 |
| + 4 more games |
Lancaster's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Hadley Truex, who had 13 digs and two aces, and Bella McKnight, who had six digs and five aces. McKnight is also on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 14 or more in each of the last nine games she's played.
They weren't the only good servers: Lancaster was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 12 aces. They are 4-2 when they serve at least ten aces.
Meanwhile, Pickerington Central made easy work of Reynoldsburg two weeks ago and carried off a 3-0 victory.
Pickerington Central not only won, but also showed off some consistency: they kept Reynoldsburg between 14 and 17 points across their sets. The final score came out to 25-17, 25-14, 25-14.
Lancaster's record is now 10-13. As for Pickerington Central, their record now sits at 19-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's contest: Lancaster has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.3 aces per game. However, it's not like Pickerington Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lancaster suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Pickerington Central in their previous matchup back in September. Can the Golden Gales avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
