After both having extra time off, the Madison East Purgolders and the Onalaska Hilltoppers will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Madison East took a three-set defeat the last time they faced off against Janesville Parker, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Purgolders won by a set and slipped past the Vikings 3-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Purgolders.
Madison East wouldn't go down easily and took Janesville Parker into a fifth set where they got it done with a three-point win. The final score came out to 25-19, 24-26, 13-25, 25-13, 15-12.
Meanwhile, Onalaska made easy work of Sparta on Thursday and carried off a 3-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Hilltoppers in their matchups with the Spartans: they've now won eight in a row.
Onalaska never let Sparta on the board, but things got pretty close in the second set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-17, 25-23, 25-13.
Madison East's record now sits at 8-21. As for Onalaska, their record is now 19-9.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's contest: Madison East has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.3 aces per game. However, it's not like Onalaska struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.1 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Madison East couldn't quite get it done against Onalaska in their previous meeting back in September of 2022 as they fell 2-0. Can the Purgolders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
