After both having extra time off, the Shell Lake Lakers and the Boyceville Bulldogs will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Shell Lake is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Prairie Farm just ended the team's three-match winning streak on Thursday. They lost 3-0 to the Panthers. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Lakers have suffered against the Panthers since September 26, 2023.
While Shell Lake was not able to make it on the board, they still kept things close, especially in the first set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-23, 25-18, 25-20.
Meanwhile, Boyceville came tearing into Thursday's match with four straight wins , and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 3-1 win over the Wolves.
Boyceville had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-16.
Shell Lake better focus on containing Gretta Guy and Mercedes Barstad as the pair were huge in Boyceville's win. Guy had seven digs and four aces, while Barstad had eight digs and seven aces. Guy is also on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 15 or more in each of the last 12 games she's played.
Boyceville was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 18 aces. They are 8-2 when they serve at least ten aces.
Shell Lake's defeat dropped their record down to 11-16. As for Boyceville, their victory bumped their record up to 13-9.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Shell Lake has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.8 aces per game. However, it's not like Boyceville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Shell Lake came up short against Boyceville when the teams last played back in October of 2021, falling 2-0. Will the Lakers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more volleyball content.
