Volleyball Game Preview: Northside Rams vs. Russellville Golden Tigers

After both having extra time off, the Northside Rams and the Russellville Golden Tigers will shake off the rust and duke it out at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Northside is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering John Carroll Catholic just ended the team's six-match winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 3-0 to the Cavaliers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Rams have suffered since October 2nd.

Northside was held off the scoreboard, but that almost wasn't the case: they kept the second set very close. The match finished with set scores of 25-5, 25-23, 25-21.

Despite the loss, Northside had strong showings from Carlee Bates, who had eight digs and one assist, and Kyndall Bennett, who had nine digs and one assist.

Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Russellville had no trouble coming through when it counted. They walked away with a 3-1 win over Lawrence County on Thursday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Russellville has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 40-15 record this season. As for Northside, their defeat dropped their record down to 34-6.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's contest: Northside has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.5 aces per game. However, it's not like Russellville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.