The Newark Wildcats will venture away from home to square off against the Teays Valley Vikings at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Newark will head out to face Teays Valley after giving up their first home loss of the season on Tuesday. Newark came up short against Pickerington Central, falling 3-0. It was the first time this season that the Wildcats let down their fans at home.
While Newark was not able to make it on the board, they still kept things close, especially in the first set. The final score came out to 25-23, 25-17, 25-19.
Meanwhile, Teays Valley didn't have quite enough to beat Canal Winchester on Tuesday and fell 3-2.
Teays Valley took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The match finished with set scores of 25-18, 22-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-10.
The losing side was boosted by Ellie Tatman, who had 16 digs. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 14 or more in the last five games she's played dating back to last season.
Newark's defeat ended a nine-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-3. As for Teays Valley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-12 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Newark has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.8 aces per game. However, it's not like Teays Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Newark's way against Teays Valley when the teams last played back in September, as Newark made off with a 3-0 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Tatman, who had 17 digs and two aces. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Newark still be able to contain Tatman? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
