The Academy of Our Lady of Peace Pilots will square off against the Point Loma Pointers at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Academy of Our Lady of Peace is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Sage Creek as they made off with a 3-0 victory. The Pilots have beaten the Bobcats the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Bobcats has come to flipping the script.
Academy of Our Lady of Peace was especially dominant in the second set. The match finished with set scores of 25-16, 25-14, 25-18.
Belen Butler had a dynamite game, getting 15 digs and nine aces. That's the most digs she has posted since back in September.
Meanwhile, Point Loma had just enough and edged out Rancho Bernardo 3-2 on Wednesday.
The match was a true back-and-forth as no team won consecutive sets, but in the end it was Point Loma who won the one that mattered. The final score came out to 25-16, 22-25, 25-17, 21-25, 17-15.
Academy of Our Lady of Peace better focus on containing Olivia Karvelis and Reece Thomas as the pair were huge in Point Loma's win. Karvelis had 18 digs and six assists, while Thomas had 12 digs and three aces. Karvelis has been hot for a while, having posted ten or more digs the last 14 times she's played.
Point Loma was lethal from the service line and finished the match with ten aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least seven aces in five consecutive matches.
Point Loma's win bumped their record up to 18-11. As for Academy of Our Lady of Peace, their victory bumped their record up to 16-10.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Academy of Our Lady of Peace hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 5 blocks per game. It's a different story for Point Loma, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 blocks. Given Academy of Our Lady of Peace's sizable advantage in that area, the Pointers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Academy of Our Lady of Peace might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Point Loma in their previous meeting back in September. Will the Pilots have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other volleyball content.
