Volleyball Preview: Portage Indians vs. Valparaiso Vikings
Portage has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Valparaiso Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with six losses in a row, Portage finally turned things around against Boone Grove on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 3-0 margin over the Wolves. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Indians have posted since September 19th.
Portage was especially dominant in the first set. The match finished with set scores of 25-15, 25-20, 25-19.
Portage was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 11 aces. That's the most aces they've posted in their last nine contests.
La Porte typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Valparaiso proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 3-1 win over the Slicers. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Vikings as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Valparaiso had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The final score came out to 17-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-23.
Valparaiso found their leader in underclassman Nicole Bontrager, who had six digs and 12 assists.
Portage's win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 11-17. As for Valparaiso, their victory bumped their record up to 13-16.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Portage has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 10.6 aces per game. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.3. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Portage came out on top in a nail-biter against Valparaiso when the teams last played back in September, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Portage since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
