Volleyball Game Preview: NCSSM: Durham Unicorns vs. Research Triangle Raptors

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Previous Games

09/22/25 - Home	3-2 W
08/28/25 - Away	0-3 L
10/10/24 - Home	3-0 W
09/25/24 - Home	3-0 W
09/10/24 - Away	3-1 W
+ 5 more games

NCSSM: Durham is 9-1 against Research Triangle since October of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Unicorns will venture away from home to take on the Raptors at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

NCSSM: Durham took a loss when they played away from home back in September, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They put the hurt on Voyager Academy with a sharp 3-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Unicorns in their matchups with the Vikings: they've now won five in a row.

The 3-0 score doesn't show just how dominant NCSSM: Durham was: they took every set by at least ten points. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-9, 25-10, 25-15.

Research Triangle won the last time they faced Franklin Academy and Kat Liquorie did her part to make sure it happened again. The Raptors blew past the Patriots 3-0 on Thursday thanks in part to Liquorie, who had 15 digs and three aces. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more aces the last four times she's played.

Research Triangle never let Franklin Academy on the board, but things got pretty close in the third set. The match finished with set scores of 25-19, 25-19, 25-23.

NCSSM: Durham's victory bumped their record up to 13-9. As for Research Triangle, their win bumped their record up to 18-3.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Monday's matchup: NCSSM: Durham has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 9.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Research Triangle struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 20 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

NCSSM: Durham skirted past Research Triangle 3-2 when the teams last played back in September. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Unicorns since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.