Volleyball Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Palisade Bulldogs
Rifle has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Palisade Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. on Friday.
Rifle lost 3-0 to Eagle Valley on Wednesday.
While Rifle was not able to make it on the board, they still kept things close, especially in the second set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-16, 25-23, 25-14.
Katelynn Rider put forth a good effort for the losing side as she had 16 assists. She is on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 15 or more in the last six games she's played.
Meanwhile, Palisade was able to grind out a solid win over Durango on Friday, taking the game 3-1.
The final score came out to 25-12, 24-26, 25-10, 25-20.
Palisade found their leader in sophomore Elizabeth Snover, who had 11 digs and four aces.
Palisade was lethal from the service line and finished the game with ten aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least six aces in 15 consecutive matchups.
Rifle dropped their record down to 2-17 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Palisade, their victory bumped their record up to 16-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Rifle has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 5.7 aces per game. However, it's not like Palisade struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Rifle might still be hurting after the 3-0 loss they got from Palisade in their previous matchup back in October of 2019. Can Rifle avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps