The Sparta Spartans will challenge the La Crosse Central Riverhawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Sparta is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Aquinas just ended the team's four-match winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Blugolds by a score of 3-2.
Sparta took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 16-14.
Despite their loss, Sparta saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Addison Kent, who had 31 digs and one assist, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Abby Berendes, who had seven digs and three aces.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for La Crosse Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over La Crosse Logan on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Riverhawks in their matchups with the Rangers: they've now won four in a row.
One reason for the win was La Crosse Central's just kept getting better, winning each set by more points than the last. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-23, 25-16, 25-14.
Sparta better focus on containing Gabriella Zeeb and Addie Sazama-Nauman as the pair were huge in La Crosse Central's win. Zeeb had 23 digs and two aces, while Sazama-Nauman had four aces and three digs. That's the most digs Zeeb has posted since back in August.
Sparta's defeat dropped their record down to 16-11. As for La Crosse Central, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: Sparta has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 5.1 aces per game. However, it's not like La Crosse Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other volleyball content.
