The New Designs University Park Cardinals will head out to face off against the USC Hybrid Trojans at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
On Monday, New Designs University Park didn't have quite enough to beat Neuwirth Leadership Academy and fell 3-2.
New Designs University Park wouldn't go down easily and took Neuwirth Leadership Academy into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking four-point loss. The match finished with set scores of 25-27, 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 15-11.
Meanwhile, USC Hybrid came up short against Animo Robinson on Monday and fell 3-1. The loss continues a trend for the Trojans in their meetings with the Monarchs: they've now lost seven in a row.
USC Hybrid started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The final score came out to 21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-19.
New Designs University Park will need to focus on slowing down Anthony Ramirez, one of several USC Hybrid players who made an impact when they last played. He had eight digs, six blocks, and four aces. What's more, Ramirez posted three kills, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Francisco Sandoval, who had 27 digs.
Even though they lost, USC Hybrid was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces every time they've taken the court this season.
New Designs University Park's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 5-3. As for USC Hybrid, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
