The Anna Rockets will face off against the Milton-Union Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Monday, Anna came up short against Parkway and fell 3-1. While the Rockets didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Panthers 25-20 in the first set.
Anna started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 20-25, 25-11, 25-19, 25-20.
Despite the defeat, Anna had strong showings from Donna Foster, who had 12 digs, and Layton Barhorst, who had six digs.
Meanwhile, Milton-Union came up short against Troy Christian on Monday, falling 3-0. The loss continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their meetings with the Eagles: they've now lost four in a row.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-17, 25-20, 25-14.
Anna's defeat dropped their record down to 15-7. As for Milton-Union, their loss dropped their record down to 9-13.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Anna has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.6 aces per game. However, it's not like Milton-Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Anna took their win against Milton-Union in their previous matchup back in October of 2022 by a conclusive 3-0 score. Do the Rockets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.