North Central is 1-9 against Hilltop since September of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Eagles will welcome the Cadets at 5:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
On Thursday, North Central didn't have quite enough to beat Stryker and fell 3-2.
North Central took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The match finished with set scores of 25-19, 20-25, 18-25, 25-21, 15-13.
Despite the defeat, North Central saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Mia Lawson had 12 digs.
Meanwhile, Hilltop came up short against Pettisville on Thursday and fell 3-1. While the Cadets didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Blackbirds 25-17 in the first set.
Hilltop started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The final score came out to 17-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-17.
North Central will have to contain Brooklyn Kuszmaul as she made an impact in Hilltop's last game. She had 16 digs. Kuszmaul has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more digs the last three times she's played.
North Central's loss dropped their record down to 9-9. As for Hilltop, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's match: North Central has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 9.9 aces per game. However, it's not like Hilltop struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
North Central skirted past Hilltop 3-2 when the teams last played back in September. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Cadets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
