Wasatch hasn't had much luck against Maple Mountain recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Wasps will challenge the Golden Eagles at 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Wasatch didn't have quite enough to beat Payson and fell 3-2.
Wasatch started the match hot and won the first two sets, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The final score came out to 23-25, 21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 17-15.
Meanwhile, Maple Mountain faced Spanish Fork in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Golden Eagles had just enough and edged out the Dons 3-2. Winning may never get old, but the Golden Eagles sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Maple Mountain wouldn't go down easily and took Spanish Fork into a fifth set where they got it done with a six-point win. The match finished with set scores of 25-16, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-9.
Wasatch better focus on containing Aliyah Marks and Olivia Roberts as the pair were huge in Maple Mountain's win. Marks had 24 digs and two aces, while Roberts had nine digs. What's more, Marks posted four assists, the most she's had over her last six matchups. Skylin Mitchell also deserves some recognition as she had her first block of the season.
Maple Mountain was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in 20 consecutive matches.
Wasatch's defeat dropped their record down to 9-8. As for Maple Mountain, their record now sits at 16-5.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's contest: Wasatch has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.2 aces per game. However, it's not like Maple Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wasatch couldn't quite get it done against Maple Mountain in their previous matchup back in August as they fell 3-1. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Marks, who had 14 digs and five aces. Now that the Wasps know the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
