The IMG Academy Black Ascenders will head out on the road to take on the Inspiration Academy Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. IMG Academy Black is coming into the contest on a six-game losing streak.
On Tuesday, IMG Academy Black didn't have quite enough to beat Evangelical Christian and fell 3-2. While the Ascenders didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Sentinels 25-17 in the first set.
IMG Academy Black couldn't get the win, but they sure gave Evangelical Christian a tough time in the second set. The final score came out to 17-25, 30-28, 23-25, 25-12, 15-10.
Catalina Merhab Rivera
| 10/07/25 vs Evangelical Christian | 27 |
| 10/06/25 vs Land O' Lakes | 19 |
| 10/02/25 @ West Port | 10 |
| 10/01/25 vs Sarasota | 21 |
| 09/30/25 @ Bishop Verot | 11 |
Despite the defeat, IMG Academy Black had strong showings from Catalina Merhab Rivera, who had 27 digs and four assists, and Willa Simmons, who had 13 assists and ten digs. Merhab Rivera has been hot, having posted ten or more digs the last five times she's played. Siena Desebizian also deserves some recognition as she had her first kill of the season.
Meanwhile, Inspiration Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Cambridge Christian on Tuesday and fell 3-2.
Inspiration Academy took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-10.
Inspiration Academy's loss dropped their record down to 7-5. As for IMG Academy Black, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-9-1.
