The Erie Tigers will face off against the Broomfield Eagles at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Erie had won five straight road games and Berklie Esparza did her part to make it six on Thursday. The Tigers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Fairview thanks in part to Esparza, who had 17 digs and two aces. She also posted two assists, marking her first of the season.
Erie was actually outscored in aggregate across those five sets (106-102), but they still managed to win. The final score came out to 19-25, 15-25, 25-22, 28-26, 15-8.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Broomfield, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They skirted past Holy Family 3-2. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Broomfield took Holy Family into a fifth set where they got it done with a six-point win. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 15-9.
Erie better focus on containing Madi Thistle and Addie Lombardo as the pair were huge in Broomfield's win. Thistle had 15 digs, while Lombardo had six digs and two aces. Those 15 digs gave Thistle a new career-high.
Erie's win bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Broomfield, their victory bumped their record up to 7-10.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's matchup: Erie hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 5.3 blocks per game. It's a different story for Broomfield, though, as they've been averaging only 1.6 blocks. Given Erie's sizable advantage in that area, the Eagles will need to find a way to close that gap.
Erie came out on top in a nail-biter against Broomfield when the teams last played back in October of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
