Volleyball Preview: Botkins Trojans vs. Jackson Center Tigers
Botkins is 0-10 against Jackson Center since August of 2020 but things could change on Wednesday. The Botkins Trojans will be staying on the road to face off against the Jackson Center Tigers at 7:30 p.m. After both made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Wednesday.
Having struggled with five losses in a row, Botkins finally turned things around against Houston two weeks ago. They put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 3-0 victory.
Botkins' got stronger as the match went on, holding Houston to fewer and fewer points set over set. The final score came out to 25-21, 25-15, 25-9.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Botkins to victory, but perhaps none more so than Peyton Platfoot, who had five digs and four aces. That's the most aces Platfoot has posted since back in September. The team also got some help courtesy of Kambree Walters, who had 13 digs.
Meanwhile, Jackson Center waltzed into their matchup on Saturday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Pirates as they made off with a 3-0 win.
Not only was the match a shutout, it was a big one: Jackson Center took every set by at least 20 points. The match finished with set scores of 25-4, 25-4, 25-5.
Jackson Center found their leader in underclassman Brookeann Byrd, who had 21 digs and three aces. Those 21 digs set a new season-high mark for Byrd.
Botkins' victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-13. As for Jackson Center, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 matches, which provided a massive bump to their 16-7 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's contest: Botkins has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Jackson Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Botkins might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Jackson Center when the teams last played on October 1st. Can Botkins avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
