The Eaglecrest Raptors will face off against the Thomas Jefferson Spartans at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Eaglecrest is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Mountain Vista, who was ranked second at the time (Eaglecrest was ranked third). The Raptors came up short against the Golden Eagles on Monday, falling 3-0. The Raptors have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
While Eaglecrest ultimately came up short, they really made Mountain Vista work, particularly in the first set. The match finished with set scores of 26-24, 25-17, 25-23.
Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson didn't have quite enough to beat Rangeview on Tuesday and fell 3-2. The loss continues a trend for the Spartans in their meetings with the Raiders: they've now lost three in a row.
Thomas Jefferson was was forced to take the loss, but they sure made Rangeview work for it, especially in the first set. The final score came out to 29-27, 22-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11.
Eaglecrest will have to contain Hassan Almutkassi as he made an impact in Thomas Jefferson's last game. He had 17 digs and three aces. Almutkassi is on a roll when it comes to aces, as he's now served two or more in each of the last four games he's played.
Eaglecrest's defeat dropped their record down to 19-4. As for Thomas Jefferson, their loss dropped their record down to 14-9.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's match: Eaglecrest has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 5.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Thomas Jefferson struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more volleyball content.
