If Daniel was feeling good fresh off their 3-0 takedown of Travelers Rest on Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Lions fell 3-1 to the Pickens Blue Flame on Thursday. The Lions have struggled against the Blue Flame recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The loss didn't mean the game wasn't competitive: Pickens scored at least 17 points in every set. The final score came out to 25-17, 24-26, 25-17, 25-18.
Anusha Venayagamoorthy paced Daniel's offense, picking up 14 kills. Venayagamoorthy were helped by Lydia Chasteen and Maleah Gibson, who contributed 13 assists each. Ava Ross controlled things from the service line, finishing with three aces.
Pickens was led to victory by Lily Clarkson and Chesney Yates. Clarkson hit 52.2% for 12 kills and 14 digs and four aces, while Yates had 21 digs, 11 kills, and two aces. Clarkson has been hot recently, having also posted 14 or more assists the last four times she's played. Laney Sitterle also deserves some recognition as she had her first block of the season.
Daniel's defeat dropped their record down to 23-8. As for Pickens, their win was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 24-4.
Daniel and Pickens should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps South Carolina Rankings. The Lions will take on Blue Ridge at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank advantage (16 vs. 138). Meanwhile, Pickens (ranked fifth) will meet Seneca (ranked 47th) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
