Volleyball Preview: North Phoenix Preparatory Academy Gladiators vs. Cicero Prep Academy Centurions
After four games on the road, North Phoenix Preparatory Academy is heading back home. After both having extra time off, they and the Cicero Prep Academy Centurions will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
North Phoenix Preparatory Academy is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Wickenburg just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of the Wranglers by a score of 2-1.
North Phoenix Preparatory Academy started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 11-25, 25-17, 15-5.
Meanwhile, Cicero Prep Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Benjamin Franklin on Saturday and fell 2-1.
Cicero Prep Academy started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last two. The match finished with set scores of 24-26, 25-19, 15-9.
Despite the defeat, Cicero Prep Academy had strong showings from Layla Hrabe, who had six aces, a kill, and a kill, and Nicole Damian, who had eight digs, six kills, four aces, and four aces. That's the most aces Damian has posted in her last seven games.
Even though they lost, Cicero Prep Academy was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 11 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in ten consecutive matches.
North Phoenix Preparatory Academy's loss dropped their record down to 8-2. As for Cicero Prep Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-8.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: North Phoenix Preparatory Academy has really dialed in their serving game this season, having averaged 12.9 aces per game. However, it's not like Cicero Prep Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
North Phoenix Preparatory Academy came up short against Cicero Prep Academy in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 3-1. Will North Phoenix Preparatory Academy have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other volleyball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
