Santa Maria was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They fell 3-1 to the Pioneer Valley Panthers. The Saints were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Panthers apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in October of 2023.
Santa Maria started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 23-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-14.
Pioneer Valley found their leader in underclassman Ella Naoe, who had 13 digs and two aces. That's the most aces Naoe has posted since September 3rd.
Santa Maria's loss dropped their record down to 1-8. As for Pioneer Valley, the victory snapped their losing streak at six games and leaves them with a 3-13 record.
Santa Maria will face off against Atascadero at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Atascadero will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Santa Maria surely won't give up without a fight. As for Pioneer Valley, they will look to defend their home court on Monday against Valley Christian Academy at 6:00 p.m.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
