Volleyball Game Preview: Del Norte Nighthawks vs. La Costa Canyon Mavericks

The Del Norte Nighthawks will head out on the road to square off against the La Costa Canyon Mavericks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Considering both teams were shutout in their prior games, the pair is probably coming into this one with something to prove.

Del Norte is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Cathedral Catholic just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They came up short against the Dons, falling 3-0.

While Del Norte was kept off the board, it wasn't for a lack of trying: they cut into Cathedral Catholic's winning margin in every set. The final score came out to 25-21, 25-22, 26-24.

Meanwhile, La Costa Canyon was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 3-0 to Torrey Pines.

La Costa Canyon was held off the scoreboard, but that almost wasn't the case: they kept the third set very close. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-17, 25-22.

Del Norte's loss dropped their record down to 15-11. As for La Costa Canyon, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-13.

Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Del Norte has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 4.5 aces per game. It's a different story for La Costa Canyon, though, as they've been averaging only 3 aces. Given Del Norte's sizable advantage in that area, the Mavericks will need to find a way to close that gap.

Del Norte was able to grind out a solid win over La Costa Canyon when the teams last played back in March, winning 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Nighthawks since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.