Northwest Christian is on a ten-game streak of home wins, while ALA - West Foothills is on a ten-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Crusaders will welcome the Guardians at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
On Tuesday, Northwest Christian got the win against Parker by a conclusive 3-0.
While Northwest Christian won a shutout, things came down to the wire in the second set they played. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-14, 25-22, 25-11.
Trace Martin
| 04/29/25 vs Parker | 11 |
| 04/28/25 vs Scottsdale Christian Academy | 2 |
| 04/25/25 vs Valley Christian | 4 |
| 04/24/25 vs North Valley Christian Academy | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs Dysart | 10 |
| + 3 more games |
Northwest Christian's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Trace Martin, who had 20 assists and 11 digs. That's the most digs Martin has posted over his last eight matchups. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooks Martin, who had 11 digs and five aces.
Northwest Christian 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 six aces in 11 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, ALA - West Foothills made easy work of Kingman on Tuesday and carried off a 3-0 win.
The 3-0 score doesn't show just how dominant ALA - West Foothills was: they took every set by at least 11 points. The final score came out to 25-8, 25-7, 25-14.
Northwest Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-7 record this season. As for ALA - West Foothills, their victory bumped their record up to 28-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: Northwest Christian has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8 aces per game. However, it's not like ALA - West Foothills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Northwest Christian took their win against ALA - West Foothills in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 3-0 score. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Guardians turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
