Battle hasn't had much luck against Hickman recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the court against one another at 6:00 p.m.
Last Tuesday, Battle came up short against Rock Bridge and fell 3-1.
While Battle had to settle for second, they sure made a game of it, scoring at least 18 points in every set they played. The final score came out to 25-18, 25-21, 15-25, 25-21.
Battle's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ellie Boyer, who had 17 digs and four assists, and Lauren Holmgren, who had 18 assists and ten digs. Mariana Flores-Hernandez also deserves some recognition as she served her first aces of the season.
Meanwhile, Hickman earned a 3-1 win over Father Tolton on Wednesday.
While Hickman might've won, it sure wasn't easy: Father Tolton scored at least 20 points in every set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-20, 25-23, 13-25, 25-20.
Battle better focus on containing Alaina Young and Kaylie Brinkley as the pair were huge in Hickman's win. Young had 11 digs and three assists, while Brinkley had 19 digs, eight kills, and three aces. That's the most digs Young has posted since back in September. Jazleen Rosas-Robinson was another key player, getting nine digs.
Hickman was lethal from the service line and finished the match with ten aces. They are 5-1 when they serve at least ten aces.
Battle's defeat dropped their record down to 15-15-2. As for Hickman, their victory bumped their record up to 11-15-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Battle has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 4.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Hickman struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.2 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Battle might still be hurting after the 3-0 loss they got from Hickman when the teams last played back in September. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
