After both having extra time off, the Centennial Bulldogs and the Shadow Ridge Mustangs will shake off the cobwebs and hit the court against one another at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Centennial is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Arbor View, who was ranked third at the time (Centennial was ranked ninth). The Bulldogs fell just short of the Aggies by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday. Bulldogs fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team has lost against the Aggies since Tuesday.
Centennial wouldn't go down easily and took Arbor View into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking four-point loss. The final score came out to 25-27, 25-22, 19-25, 25-18, 15-11.
Avery Meservey put forth a good effort for the losing side as she had 17 digs and four assists.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Shadow Ridge, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They walked away with a 3-1 victory over Palo Verde on Monday.
Shadow Ridge had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 14-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-19.
Centennial better keep an eye on Camden Finlinson. She was instrumental in Shadow Ridge's win, getting 21 digs. Those 21 digs gave Finlinson a new career-high.
Shadow Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-12 record this season. As for Centennial, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 19-12 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Monday's contest: Centennial has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Shadow Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Centennial came up short against Shadow Ridge in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 2-0. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
