Volleyball Preview: Hanover Central Wildcats vs. Merrillville Pirates
Hanover Central is 8-2 against Merrillville since August of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The Hanover Central Wildcats will host the Merrillville Pirates at 5:00 p.m. Considering both teams were shutout in their prior games, the pair is probably coming into this one with something to prove.
Hanover Central is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest defeat since September 23rd on Thursday. They came up short against Kankakee Valley, falling 3-0.
Hanover Central was was forced to take the loss, but they sure made Kankakee Valley work for it, especially in the third set. The match finished with set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 29-27.
Despite the loss, Hanover Central saw an underclassman step up: Liliana Chorba had 13 digs. Chorba has been hot recently, having posted ten or more digs the last three times she's played.
Meanwhile, Merrillville and Hammond Bishop Noll met for a duel on Monday where Merrillville couldn't get it done. Merrillville came up short against Hammond Bishop Noll, falling 3-0. The Pirates have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The match finished with set scores of 25-14, 25-9, 25-16.
Hanover Central dropped their record down to 10-17 with the defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road. As for Merrillville, their loss dropped their record down to 12-14.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's game: Hanover Central has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 10.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Merrillville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Hanover Central might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Merrillville in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will Hanover Central have more luck at home instead of on the road? 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
