Northwest Christian is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Payson is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Crusaders will welcome the Longhorns at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
On Monday, Northwest Christian made easy work of Bourgade Catholic and carried off a 3-0 win.
The final score came out to 25-9, 25-18, 25-10.
Mallory East
| 08/30/25 vs Campo Verde | 3 |
| 09/16/25 @ Veritas Prep | 3 |
| 08/29/25 vs Chandler Prep | 5 |
| 09/23/25 vs ALA - Ironwood | 6 |
| 08/29/25 vs Veritas Prep | 7 |
Northwest Christian found their leader in sophomore Mallory East, who had four digs and three aces. East also set a new season-high mark in assists with 16. Lilly Bliss also deserves some recognition as she served her first aces of the season.
Northwest Christian was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 14 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least 11 aces in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Payson got the win against Bourgade Catholic on Thursday by a conclusive 3-0.
Payson's got stronger as the match went on, holding Bourgade Catholic to fewer and fewer points set over set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-11, 25-8.
Payson's win came from a few key players Northwest Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Windsong Burdette, who had eight digs. Those eight digs gave her a new career-high.
Northwest Christian's victory bumped their record up to 17-5. As for Payson, their win bumped their record up to 17-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Wednesday's contest: Northwest Christian has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.6 aces per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.2 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Northwest Christian's way against Payson when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as Northwest Christian made off with a 3-0 victory. Do the Crusaders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Longhorns turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
