After both having extra time off, the Mathews Mustangs and the Newton Falls Tigers will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Mathews has now lost ten straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since September 19.
Last Tuesday, Mathews came up short against McKinley and fell 3-1. While the Mustangs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Red Dragons 25-18 in the first set.
Mathews started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 18-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-13.
Even though they lost, Mathews was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 11 aces. That's the most aces they've posted in their last eight games.
Meanwhile, Newton Falls beat Windham 3-1 on Thursday.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-9, 19-25, 25-17, 25-13.
Torrie Fanton was a one-man wrecking crew for Newton Falls as she had 12 digs and four aces. Fanton is also on a roll when it comes to assists, as she's now posted 12 or more in the last 17 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Madalyn Knight, who had seven digs and four aces.
Mathews' defeat dropped their record down to 3-19. As for Newton Falls, the win got them back to even at 11-11.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's contest: Mathews has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.5 aces per game. However, it's not like Newton Falls struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Mathews came up short against Newton Falls when the teams last played back in October of 2021, falling 3-1. Can Mathews avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
