The Fremont Firebirds will challenge the Encina Bulldogs at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. Fremont is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.
On Friday, Fremont didn't have quite enough to beat Saratoga and fell 3-2.
Fremont took Saratoga into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking nine-point loss. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-21, 25-23, 25-27, 22-25, 15-6.
Neel Sharma
| 03/28/25 vs Saratoga | 7 |
| 02/26/25 vs Westmont | 6 |
| 03/26/25 @ Mountain View | 4 |
| 03/15/25 vs Mission San Jose | 4 |
| 03/11/25 vs Los Altos | 3 |
The losing side was boosted by Neel Sharma, who had 18 assists and seven digs. Those seven digs gave him a new career-high. Rashad Lagman was another key player, getting 13 digs.
Meanwhile, Encina made easy work of Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning on Thursday and carried off a 3-0 victory. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Fire Wolves recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Encina's got stronger as the match went on, holding Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning to fewer and fewer points set over set. The match finished with set scores of 25-20, 25-17, 25-14.
Fremont better keep an eye on Youssef Slekh. He was instrumental in Encina's win, getting 13 digs and one assist.
Encina's victory bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Fremont, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's match: Fremont has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.3 aces per game. However, it's not like Encina struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.2 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fremont took their win against Encina in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 3-0. Does Fremont have another victory up their sleeve, or will Encina turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
