Volleyball Preview: Manteno Panthers vs. Wilmington Wildcats
A feisty cat fight will be fought when Panthers takes on Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Manteno is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Peotone just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Blue Devils by a score of 2-1.
Manteno started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 20-25, 25-20, 25-17.
Manteno's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Bri Wilson, who had six digs and 11 assists, and Brynn Nikonchuk, who had 18 digs, nine kills, and two blocks. Nikonchuk is on a roll when it comes to kills, as she's now had five or more in the last 12 games she's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Wilmington entered their tilt with Reed-Custer on Tuesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They came out on top against the Comets by a score of 2-0.
Wilmington easily took the second set, but they let things get interesting in the other. The match finished with set scores of 25-17, 25-13.
Among those leading the charge was Skylar Rossow, who had 12 digs.
Manteno's loss dropped their record down to 11-7. As for Wilmington, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 15 games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Manteno has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.7 aces per game. However, it's not like Wilmington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more volleyball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
