Branford and Foran are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Branford Hornets will take on the Foran Lions at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Branford is no doubt hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Branford came up short against Hamden on Friday, falling 3-0.
Branford was not held off the scoreboard, but that almost wasn't the case: they kept the 0th set very close. The final score came out to 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.
She wasn't the only good server: Branford 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 five aces in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Foran came tearing into Monday's matchup with three straight wins and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Gaels by a score of 3-1.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-17, 25-19, 25-27, 25-23.
Foran's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gracie Brooks, who had 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. Another player making a difference was Gaby Magnuson, who had 26 digs and three aces.
Branford's defeat dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Foran, their record now sits at 9-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Branford has serving mastered this season, having averaged 13.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Foran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Branford suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Foran when the teams last played on September 5th. Can Branford avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
