Volleyball Game Preview: Thunder Basin Bolts vs. Star Valley Braves

The Thunder Basin Bolts will face off against the Star Valley Braves at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Thunder Basin is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Wyoming's top teams: Laramie, who was ranked third at the time (Thunder Basin was ranked fifth). The Bolts came up short against the Plainsmen on Saturday, falling 3-0. The Bolts haven't had much luck with the Plainsmen recently, as the team has come up short the last nine times they've met.

While Thunder Basin was not able to make it on the board, they still kept things close, especially in the second set. The match finished with set scores of 25-19, 25-23, 25-16.

Star Valley hadn't beaten Evanston on the road since October 10, 2023 but that history sure didn't bother them on Saturday. The Braves blew past the Devils 3-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Braves have posted against the Devils since October 10, 2023.

Thunder Basin better keep an eye on Camryn Mackey. She was instrumental in Star Valley's win, getting 17 digs and three aces. Mackey has been hot for a while, having posted 11 or more digs the last 11 times she's played.

Thunder Basin's defeat dropped their record down to 22-6. As for Star Valley, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 19-15 record this season.

Thunder Basin came out on top in a nail-biter against Star Valley in their previous meeting back in August, sneaking past 2-1. Will the Bolts repeat their success, or do the Braves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.