After both having extra time off, McDonald and Independence will shake off the rust and duke it out at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. McDonald will be looking to extend their current 12-game winning streak.
McDonald is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Lake Center Christian as they made off with a 3-0 victory.
McDonald not only won, but also showed off some consistency: they kept Lake Center Christian between 18 and 19 points across their sets. The match finished with set scores of 25-18, 25-19, 25-18.
McDonald can attribute much of their success to Miley Titus, who had 14 digs and one assist.
McDonald was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 16 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in 13 consecutive contests.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Independence and Kirtland, and Independence kept the tradition alive. The Blue Devils put the hurt on the Hornets with a sharp 3-0 win on Wednesday.
Independence's got stronger as the match went on, holding Kirtland to fewer and fewer points set over set. The final score came out to 25-21, 25-17, 25-7.
Independence's win came from a few key players McDonald will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sofia Pichert, who had 14 digs and two aces. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had ten or more in each of the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Madelyn Mudra, who had nine digs and three aces.
McDonald's record is now 21-3. As for Independence, their record now sits at 18-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: McDonald has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 11.2 aces per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 14 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more volleyball content.
