Analy has won six straight games at home, while Rancho Cotate has won six straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Tigers will welcome the Cougars at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Analy's win against St. Vincent de Paul wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Tigers narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Mustangs 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Tigers have posted since September 6th.
Analy had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first two sets, they turned around to win the next three. The final score came out to 19-25, 18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 15-7.
Analy got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Devyn Gray out in front who had 22 digs and three aces. That's the most aces Gray has posted since back in October of 2024. Another player making a difference was Isabella Romine, who had 22 assists and 11 digs.
They weren't the only good servers: Analy was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 13 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least eight aces in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Rancho Cotate got the win against Piner on Tuesday by a conclusive 3-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Cougars have posted against the Prospectors since October 18, 2022.
Rancho Cotate was especially dominant in the second set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-19, 25-12, 25-21.
Rancho Cotate's win came from a few key players Analy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Izabella Harumi, who had ten digs and two aces. The team also got some help courtesy of Roxana Corona, who had 12 digs and one assist.
Analy's victory bumped their record up to 16-8. As for Rancho Cotate, their win bumped their record up to 21-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: Analy has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.5 aces per game. However, it's not like Rancho Cotate struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Analy couldn't quite get it done against Rancho Cotate in their previous matchup back in September as they fell 3-1. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other volleyball content.
