Hamilton hasn't had much luck against California Lutheran recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bobcats will square off against the C-Hawks at 4:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Hamilton didn't have quite enough to beat United Christian Academy and fell 3-2. While the Bobcats didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Eagles 25-19 in the first set.
Hamilton wouldn't go down easily and took United Christian Academy into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking six-point loss. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 19-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 15-9.
Meanwhile, California Lutheran posted their closest win since October 15, 2024 on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past California School for the Deaf-Riverside 3-2.
California Lutheran had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first two sets, they turned around to win the next three. The final score came out to 22-25, 25-27, 25-9, 26-24, 15-8.
Hamilton better keep an eye on Neleh Boehm. She was instrumental in California Lutheran's win, getting 16 assists and six digs. That's the most digs Boehm has posted over her last six contests.
California Lutheran was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 21 aces. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their ace total in four consecutive matchups.
Hamilton's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 17-6. As for California Lutheran, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-13 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Hamilton has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.9 aces per game. However, it's not like California Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Hamilton skirted past California Lutheran 3-2 when the teams last played back in September. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bobcats since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
