After a string of seven wins, Norton's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Woodridge Bulldogs by a score of 3-2. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bulldogs apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in September of 2023.
Norton took Woodridge into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking three-point loss. The final score came out to 22-25, 25-13, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12.
Norton's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kennedy Cooper, who had 12 digs and two aces. Cooper is crushing it when it comes to digs: she's had at least four every time she's taken the court this season.
Even though they lost, Norton was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in nine consecutive matchups.
Woodridge was led to victory by Catie Patterson and Cece Patterson. Catie had 39 digs and four aces, while Cece had 11 digs and seven aces. That's the most aces Cece has posted since two weeks ago. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Shipbaugh, who had ten digs.
Norton's defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-2. As for Woodridge, the victory was the eighth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-1.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Norton will square off against Springfield at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Woodridge, they will head out on the road to square off against Cloverleaf at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Woodridge is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
