Milton hasn't had much luck against Niceville recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Panthers will head out to face off against the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
It was a proper cat-fight when Milton duked it out with Pensacola on Tuesday. The Panthers fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 3-2.
Milton took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-16, 24-26, 23-25, 26-24, 15-12.
Despite the defeat, Milton got top-tier performance from Emily Hope, who had 12 aces and ten digs. Another player making a difference was Carstyn Black, who had six digs and four aces.
Meanwhile, Niceville didn't have quite enough to beat Choctawhatchee on Wednesday and fell 3-2. While the Eagles didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Indians 25-20 in the first set.
Niceville took Choctawhatchee into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking six-point loss. The final score came out to 20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 18-25, 15-9.
Milton will have to contain Janey Elder as she made an impact in Niceville's last game. She had six digs and four aces.
Milton's record now sits at 10-15. As for Niceville, their record is now 14-7.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Monday's contest: Milton has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Niceville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Milton might still be hurting after the 3-0 loss they got from Niceville when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
