Volleyball Game Preview: Alameda Hornets vs. El Cerrito Gauchos

The Alameda Hornets will square off against the El Cerrito Gauchos at 5:45 p.m. on Thursday. The last three games Alameda has played have been within one set, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Alameda saw some tournament action on Saturday. They fell just short of Analy by a score of 2-1.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for El Cerrito, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They came out on top against Deer Valley by a score of 3-1 on Monday.

The victory didn't come easy: Deer Valley scored at least 18 points in every set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 25-20.

Alameda better focus on containing Tenzin Rakasha and Nio Shapland as the pair were huge in El Cerrito's win. Rakasha had 19 assists and 11 digs, while Shapland had 17 digs and one assist. That's the most digs Rakasha has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Dante Martinez, who had nine kills and three digs.

Alameda's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for El Cerrito, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.

Alameda took their victory against El Cerrito in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a conclusive 3-0. Will Alameda repeat their success, or does El Cerrito have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.