Volleyball Game Preview: NCSSM: Durham Unicorns vs. Riverside-Durham Pirates

The NCSSM: Durham Unicorns will head out to challenge the Riverside-Durham Pirates at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

NCSSM: Durham was handed a three-set loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Wednesday. They won by a set and slipped past Eno River Academy 3-2. The Unicorns haven't had any issues with the Bobcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

Meanwhile, Riverside-Durham had already won two in a row and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 3-0 margin over the Crusaders.

The final score came out to 25-11, 25-12, 25-17.

Riverside-Durham's win came from a few key players NCSSM: Durham will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jacob Feller, who had 25 assists and seven aces. He has been hot for a while, having posted 18 or more assists the last 11 times he's played. Another player making a difference was John Feller, who had eight digs and four aces.

Riverside-Durham was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 17 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least 16 aces every time they've taken the court this season.

Riverside-Durham's record is now 3-0. As for NCSSM: Durham, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.

NCSSM: Durham couldn't quite get it done against Riverside-Durham in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 3-1. Can NCSSM: Durham avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.