Volleyball Preview: Brillion Lions vs. Kiel Raiders
The Brillion Lions will hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Kiel Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Brillion took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against New Holstein as Brillion made off with a 3-0 victory. That looming 3-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Lions yet this season.
The final score came out to 25-11, 25-20, 25-14.
Brillion's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Reina Eijtjes led the charge by getting eight digs and four aces. Eijtjes is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had five or more in the last three games she's played dating back to last season. Taylor Brandenburg was another key player, getting 13 digs.
Brillion was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 15 aces. That's the most aces they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Meanwhile, Kiel came tearing into Tuesday's game with four straight wins and they left with even more momentum. They had just enough and edged the Tigers out 3-2.
Kiel was actually outscored in aggregate across those five sets (100-96), but they still managed to win. After all that action, the final score was 11-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-14, 15-12.
Ava Rothe had an outrageously good game as she had nine digs, three aces, and a block. The team also got some help courtesy of Liz Neils, who had eight digs, six kills, and four blocks.
Brillion's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-3. As for Kiel, their record is now 5-0.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Brillion has serving mastered this season, having averaged 10.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Kiel struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6. 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
