The Durand-Arkansaw Panthers will square off against the Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Considering both teams were shutout in their prior games, the pair is probably coming into this one with something to prove.
Durand-Arkansaw is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Boyceville just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Thursday. They came up short against the Bulldogs, falling 3-0. While getting shut out isn't ideal, the Panthers haven't been shut out since back in August.
Durand-Arkansaw took the loss but they managed to make steady progress, increasing their score in every set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-22.
Meanwhile, Melrose-Mindoro came up short against Pepin/Alma on Tuesday, falling 3-0. The Mustangs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Melrose-Mindoro was held off the scoreboard, but that almost wasn't the case: they kept the third set very close. The final score came out to 25-20, 25-17, 25-23.
The losing side was boosted by Anna Radcliffe, who had 14 digs. She has been hot recently, having posted ten or more digs the last three times she's played.
Durand-Arkansaw's defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-4. As for Melrose-Mindoro, their loss dropped their record down to 5-13.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's matchup: Durand-Arkansaw has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Melrose-Mindoro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Durand-Arkansaw skirted past Melrose-Mindoro 2-1 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Does Durand-Arkansaw have another victory up their sleeve, or will Melrose-Mindoro turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
