Volleyball Recap: Daniel Falls Short Against Ranked Pickens

Daniel faced Pickens in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Lions lost 3-0 to the Blue Flame. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Lions have suffered since November 7, 2024.

Daniel was held off the scoreboard, but that almost wasn't the case: they kept the second set very close. The final score came out to 25-18, 25-22, 25-19.

Zara Russell paced Daniel's offense, picking up 12 kills. Russell got some help from Lydia Chasteen and her 15 assists. Anusha Venayagamoorthy controlled things from the service line, finishing with two aces.

Leading Pickens to victory were Rylan Nichols and Natalie Hunter. Nichols had eight digs and two aces, while Hunter had 12 digs. That's the most digs Hunter has posted over her last seven contests.

Daniel's loss ended a six-match streak of wins at home and dropped them to 10-2. As for Pickens, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-1.

Daniel wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 3-0 victory against Blue Ridge on the 18th. As for Pickens, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 3-0 win against Seneca on the 18th.