Jenison hasn't had much luck against Hudsonville recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Wildcats will square off against the Eagles at 6:00 p.m.
Last Tuesday, Jenison came up short against Mona Shores and fell 3-1.
While Jenison had to settle for second, they sure made a game of it, scoring at least 19 points in every set they played. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-21, 25-19, 17-25, 25-21.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Hudsonville walked away with it. Everything went their way against the Wolves on Wednesday as they made off with a 3-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Eagles, who have now won five matches in a row.
Hudsonville's win came from a few key players Jenison will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Emmy Poll, who had 14 digs and one assist. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 14 or more in each of the last six games she's played. Maggie Szlachcic was another key player, hitting 77.3% for 17 kills and seven digs and four aces.
Hudsonville was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least eight aces in five consecutive matchups.
Jenison's defeat dropped their record down to 36-7-2. As for Hudsonville, their record now sits at 30-8-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Jenison has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.6 aces per game. However, it's not like Hudsonville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Jenison couldn't quite get it done against Hudsonville when the teams last played back in October as they fell 2-0. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
