Volleyball Preview: Pomona Panthers vs. Standley Lake Gators
Pomona and Standley Lake are an even 3-3 against one another since August of 2014, but not for long. The Pomona Panthers are taking a road trip to challenge the Standley Lake Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pomona is no doubt hoping to put an end to a seven-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row, Pomona finally turned things around against Wheat Ridge on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over the Farmers.
Pomona was staring down a 2-1 deficit headed into the fourth set, but they rallied to take the next two for the win. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 20-25, 25-18, 22-25, 26-24, 15-7.
Pomona's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Alma Lofton, who had 12 digs and two aces. That's the most aces Lofton has posted since back in September.
Pomona was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 24 aces. That's the most aces they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Standley Lake waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. Everything went their way against the Lions as they made off with a 3-0 win.
The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 25-17, 25-17.
Pomona's victory bumped their record up to 7-10. As for Standley Lake, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-3 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Pomona has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Standley Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Pomona might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Standley Lake when the teams last played back in October of 2023. Can Pomona avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
