Mica Mountain is 0-4 against Salpointe Catholic since March of 2023 but things could change on Thursday. The Thunderbolts will challenge the Lancers at 5:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Mica Mountain comes in on three and Salpointe Catholic on seven.
Mica Mountain barely beat Sahuaro the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Thunderbolts were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over the Cougars on Tuesday.
The match finished with set scores of 25-9, 25-17, 25-15.
Among those leading the charge was Caleb Cherry, who had four digs and one block. Dylan Uribe also deserves some recognition as he had his first block of the season.
Meanwhile, Salpointe Catholic narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Marana 3-2.
Salpointe Catholic wouldn't go down easily and took Marana into a fifth set where they got it done with a three-point win. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12.
Salpointe Catholic found their leader in sophomore Ethan Pinkney, who had 31 digs and three assists. Those 31 digs set a new season-high mark for Pinkney.
Mica Mountain's record now sits at 15-5. As for Salpointe Catholic, their record is now 14-7.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Mica Mountain has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Salpointe Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Mica Mountain might still be hurting after the 3-0 loss they got from Salpointe Catholic in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Thankfully for the Thunderbolts, Matthew Tejeda (who had 18 digs and two aces) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
