Volleyball Preview: Borah Lions vs. Centennial Patriots
After three games on the road, Borah is heading back home. They will host the Centennial Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Having struggled with eight defeats in a row, Borah finally turned things around against Kuna on Thursday. They blew past the Kavemen 3-0. That looming 3-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Lions yet this season.
While Borah won a shutout, things came down to the wire in the third set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-18, 25-20, 25-23.
Among those leading the charge was Alina Bout, who had ten digs and two aces. That's the most aces she has posted in her last eight games.
Meanwhile, Centennial waltzed into their matchup on Wednesday with eight straight wins... but they left with nine. They were the clear victor by a 3-0 margin over the Wolves. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Patriots have posted against the Wolves since October 31, 2015.
Centennial never let Timberline on the board, but things got pretty close in the second set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-9, 25-22, 25-17.
Centennial can attribute much of their success to Liberty Ipsen, who had three digs and 20 assists. Ipsen is on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 15 or more in the last ten games she's played dating back to last season.
Centennial couldn't miss and finished the game having scored on 40.2% of their attack attempts. That's the best hitting percentage they've posted all season.
Borah's victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-11. As for Centennial, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 25-3-1 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's contest: Borah hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 6.5 blocks per game. It's a different story for Centennial, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1. Given Borah's sizable advantage in that area, Centennial will need to find a way to close that gap.
Borah suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Centennial in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Will Borah have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more volleyball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
