Volleyball Game Preview: Hillcrest Hornets vs. Branson Pirates

Hillcrest is 1-8-1 against Branson since September of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Hornets will square off against the Pirates at 7:00 p.m.

Hillcrest lost 3-0 to West Plains on Thursday.

The final score came out to 25-13, 25-17, 25-14.

Branson not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since September 23rd (when they won 3-0). They put the hurt on Bolivar with a sharp 3-0 victory. The Pirates haven't had any issues with the Liberators recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

The 3-0 score doesn't show just how dominant Branson was: they took every set by at least 11 points. The match finished with set scores of 25-7, 25-10, 25-14.

Hillcrest's defeat dropped their record down to 7-18-2. As for Branson, their victory bumped their record up to 18-11-6.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's match: Hillcrest has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.8 aces per game. However, it's not like Branson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Hillcrest couldn't quite get it done against Branson in their previous matchup back in September as they fell 2-0. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.