The Manitou Springs Mustangs are taking a road trip to take on the Thomas MacLaren School Highlanders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Manitou Springs took a three-set loss the last time they faced off against Florence, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Mustangs won by a set and slipped past the Huskies 3-2. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Mustangs as it put an end to their three-match losing streak.
Manitou Springs had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first two sets, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 17-15.
Gracie Esterline went supernova, getting 19 digs and two aces. That's the most aces she has posted since October 2nd.
Esterline wasn't the only good servers: Manitou Springs was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 15 aces. The Mustangs are 7-2 when they serve at least ten aces.
Meanwhile, Thomas MacLaren School got the win against The Colorado Springs School on Tuesday by a conclusive 3-0.
The victory didn't come easy: The Colorado Springs School scored at least 18 points in every set. The final score came out to 25-23, 25-23, 25-18.
Manitou Springs' record is now 9-12. As for Thomas MacLaren School, their record now sits at 13-8.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Manitou Springs has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 10.4 aces per game. However, it's not like Thomas MacLaren School struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Manitou Springs was able to grind out a solid win over Thomas MacLaren School when the teams last played back in October of 2024, winning 3-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mustangs since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
