Foran and Branford are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Foran Lions will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Branford Hornets at 5:30 p.m. The timing is sure in Foran's favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Branford has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Foran will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Shelton, who they hadn't topped in nine consecutive meetings. Foran came out on top against Shelton by a score of 3-1 on Monday.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-17, 25-19, 25-27, 25-23.
Foran's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Gracie Brooks led the charge by getting 16 digs, 15 kills, and 15 kills. Brooks is on a roll when it comes to kills, as she's now had ten or more in the last four games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gaby Magnuson, who had 26 digs and three aces.
She wasn't the only good server: Foran was lethal from the service line and finished the game with ten aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least six aces in ten consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Branford lost 3-0 to Hamden on Friday.
While Branford was not able to make it on the board, they still kept things close, especially in the 0th set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-22, 25-10, 25-19.
The losing side was boosted by Sophie Santos, who had nine digs, four aces, and four aces. That's the most aces she has posted in her last seven matches. The team also got some help courtesy of Riley O'Brien, who had nine digs and two aces.
Foran's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Branford, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Foran has serving mastered this season, having averaged 11 aces per game. However, it's not like Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 13.1. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Foran took their win against Branford in their previous meeting on September 5th by a conclusive 3-0. Does Foran have another victory up their sleeve, or will Branford turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
