After both having extra time off, the Orleans Bulldogs and the Shoals Jug Rox will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Last Thursday, Orleans didn't have quite enough to beat Borden and fell 3-2. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Braves recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Orleans took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The final score came out to 25-15, 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 17-15.
Meanwhile, Shoals hadn't done well against Bloomfield recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Shoals sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Bloomfield.
Shoals wouldn't go down easily and took Bloomfield into a fifth set where they got it done with a two-point win. The match finished with set scores of 25-11, 25-12, 20-25, 25-27, 15-13.
Shoals 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 14 consecutive matches.
Orleans' loss dropped their record down to 18-12. As for Shoals, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-15 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Orleans has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.8 aces per game. However, it's not like Shoals struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Orleans suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Shoals when the teams last played on Tuesday. Can Orleans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
