Volleyball Preview: Franklin Panthers vs. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles
Franklin is 10-0 against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee since August of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Franklin Panthers will host the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Franklin is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering West Henderson just ended the team's 11-game winning streak on Tuesday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (3-0), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. The contest marked the first time this season in which they were not able to get on the board.
After all that action, the final score was 25-16, 25-16, 25-19.
Emma Ledford put forth a good effort for the losing side as she had nine digs and 13 assists. She is on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 11 or more in the last 18 games she's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee entered their matchup against Asheville Christian Academy on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee fell just short of Asheville Christian Academy by a score of 3-2.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee took Asheville Christian Academy into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking three-point loss. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 27-29, 15-12.
The losing side was boosted by Cassidy Klimasewski, who had 36 digs.
Even though they lost, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 13 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least seven aces in 24 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Franklin fell to 11-1. As for Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, their loss dropped their record down to 7-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Franklin has serving mastered this season, having averaged 10.2 aces per game. However, it's not like Rabun Gap-Nacoochee struggles in that department as they've been averaging 12.1. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Franklin was able to grind out a solid victory over Rabun Gap-Nacoochee in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, winning 3-1. Will Franklin repeat their success, or does Rabun Gap-Nacoochee have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
