Merced lost against El Capitan back in October of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. The Merced Bears fell just short of the El Capitan Gauchos by a score of 3-2. The Bears have struggled against the Gauchos recently, as their game on Tuesday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Merced took El Capitan into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking seven-point loss. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 19-25, 25-17, 27-29, 25-23, 15-8.
El Capitan got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Danica Roden out in front who had 16 digs. The team also got some help courtesy of Anushka Elwin, who had seven digs, six aces, and a kill.
Merced's defeat dropped their record down to 10-9. As for El Capitan, they are on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-7 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Merced will take on Los Banos at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Los Banos is coming into the game with three straight losses at home, meaning Merced will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory. As for El Capitan, they will venture away from home to square off against Golden Valley at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Golden Valley has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with eight straight defeats, while El Capitan will come in with eight straight wins.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
