The DeLand-Weldon Eagles will square off against the Judah Christian Tribe at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
DeLand-Weldon will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Cornerstone Christian, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Eagles had just enough and edged out the Cyclones 2-1 on Tuesday. The game was the first time the Eagles have beaten the Cyclones on their court since September 10, 2019.
The match was a true back-and-forth as no team won consecutive sets, but in the end it was DeLand-Weldon who won the one that mattered. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-13, 17-25, 25-21.
Ellie Hayward
| 09/30/25 @ Cornerstone Christian | 10 |
| 09/25/25 vs Urbana University | 3 |
| 09/23/25 vs Lowpoint-Washburn | 8 |
| 09/22/25 @ MacArthur | 3 |
| 09/18/25 @ Judah Christian | 4 |
| 09/17/25 vs Georgetown-Ridge Farm | 13 |
DeLand-Weldon's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ellie Hayward led the charge by getting ten digs, six kills, and three aces. That's the most digs Hayward has posted over her last six contests. Makenna Woods was another key player, getting eight kills, seven digs, and one block.
They weren't the only good servers: DeLand-Weldon was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 13 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Judah Christian had to endure a six-match losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against Arcola by a score of 2-0 on Wednesday.
Judah Christian easily took the second set, but they let things get interesting in the other. The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 25-13.
DeLand-Weldon's win bumped their record up to 10-13. As for Judah Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 9-10.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: DeLand-Weldon has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.3 aces per game. However, it's not like Judah Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
DeLand-Weldon skirted past Judah Christian 2-1 in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Tribe have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
