Volleyball Preview: Barnesville Shamrocks vs. Martins Ferry Purple Riders
Barnesville has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will head out to face off against the Martins Ferry Purple Riders at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Wednesday, Barnesville was able to grind out a solid victory over Magnolia, taking the game 2-0.
While Barnesville might've won, it sure wasn't easy: Magnolia scored at least 16 points in every set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-9, 25-16.
Barnesville can attribute much of their success to Addyson Keiger, who had four digs and three aces. That's the most aces Keiger has posted since back in August.
Meanwhile, everything went Martins Ferry's way against Buckeye Local on Wednesday as Martins Ferry made off with a 3-0 win.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-9, 25-14.
Martins Ferry can attribute much of their success to Gracie Lucas, who had six digs and 13 assists, and Olivia Harkness, who had three digs and 17 assists. Harkness is crushing it when it comes to assists: she's posted at least 17 every time she's taken the court this season.
Barnesville's victory bumped their record up to 8-14. As for Martins Ferry, their win was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Monday's matchup: Barnesville has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 5.7 aces per game. However, it's not like Martins Ferry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.6. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Barnesville took their victory against Martins Ferry in their previous matchup back in September of 2022 by a conclusive 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Barnesville since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
