After both having extra time off, the Olathe Pirates and the North Fork Miners will shake off the cobwebs and take on one another at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Olathe is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Last Tuesday, Olathe didn't have quite enough to beat Roaring Fork and fell 3-2.
In a back-and-forth that saw neither team win consecutive sets, Olathe sadly dropped the once that decided the match. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-8.
Olathe's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Josilin Almanza, who had 20 digs, and Teresa Galvan, who had 19 digs and three kills. With that strong performance, Almanza is now averaging an impressive 10.5 digs per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Gwen Nelson, who had 13 digs.
Even though they lost, Olathe was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 12 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in six consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, North Fork came up short against Gunnison on Thursday and fell 3-1.
While North Fork had to settle for second, they sure made a game of it, scoring at least 20 points in every set they played. The final score came out to 25-21, 25-20, 18-25, 25-20.
Olathe's loss dropped their record down to 4-8. As for North Fork, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's game: Olathe hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 4.5 blocks per game. It's a different story for North Fork, though, as they've been averaging only 1.9. Given Olathe's sizable advantage in that area, North Fork will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
