Eau Claire Memorial is on a seven-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Hudson is on a eight-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. After both having extra time off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Eau Claire Memorial is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest loss since October 12, 2023 on Thursday. They came up short against River Falls, falling 3-0.
While Eau Claire Memorial was kept off the board, it wasn't for a lack of trying: they cut into River Falls' winning margin in every set. The match finished with set scores of 25-16, 25-19, 25-22.
Despite the defeat, Eau Claire Memorial had strong showings from Natalie Pukrop, who had four digs and 14 assists, and Lindsay D Duerkop, who had eight digs and two aces. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: Pukrop now posted eight or more in the last six games she's played.
Meanwhile, Hudson was able to grind out a solid victory over Osceola on Tuesday, taking the game 3-1.
Hudson had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The final score came out to 23-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-18.
Chloe Lockheart went supernova for Hudson, getting 13 digs and four aces.
She wasn't the only good server: Hudson was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in nine consecutive contests.
Eau Claire Memorial's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 17-6. As for Hudson, their win bumped their record up to 20-0.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Eau Claire Memorial has serving mastered this season, having averaged 8 aces per game. However, it's not like Hudson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Eau Claire Memorial came up short against Hudson in their previous meeting back in August, falling 2-0. Will Eau Claire Memorial have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more volleyball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
