Mishawaka Marian has been away from home for five games now, but on Thursday they'll finally make their return. They will host the New Prairie Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Mishawaka Marian was able to grind out a solid victory over Fairfield, taking the game 3-1.
The match was exciting from start to finish, as three sets needed extra rallies to gain a two-point lead. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 27-25, 25-19, 26-28, 26-24.
Mishawaka Marian relied on the efforts of Annie Verslype, who had 13 digs and six aces, and Bri Lundy, who had five digs and ten assists. That's the most aces Verslype has posted in her last seven matchups.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when New Prairie faced off against South Bend Riley on Thursday. New Prairie was the clear victor by a 3-0 margin over South Bend Riley. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
The 3-0 score doesn't show just how dominant New Prairie was: they took every set by at least 13 points. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-12, 25-10, 25-12.
New Prairie was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 16 aces. They are 3-1 when they serve at least ten aces.
Mishawaka Marian has been performing well recently as they've won 12 of their last 16 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-10 record this season. As for New Prairie, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-8.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: Mishawaka Marian has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.8 aces per game. However, it's not like New Prairie struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.3. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Mishawaka Marian took their victory against New Prairie when the teams last played back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 3-0. Will Mishawaka Marian repeat their success, or does New Prairie have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
