Southwest hasn't had much luck against Blue Eye recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Southwest Trojans will be playing at home against the Blue Eye Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with ten defeats in a row, Southwest finally turned things around against Eureka Springs on Thursday. They blew past the Highlanders 3-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Trojans have posted since October 16, 2023.
Southwest's not only won, but also showed off some consistency: keeping Eureka Springs between 15 and 17 points across their sets. The final score came out to 25-17, 25-15, 25-17.
Southwest can attribute much of their success to Olivia Hnem, who had 13 digs and four aces, and Laura Henry, who had four digs, two kills, and 18 assists. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: Henry now posted eight or more in the last ten games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Emma Outhouse, who had five aces.
Meanwhile, Blue Eye beat Verona 3-1 on Monday.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-22, 25-17, 26-28, 25-17.
Blue Eye found their leader in underclassman Molly Morgan, who had 16 digs. Those 16 digs set a new season-high mark for her.
Blue Eye 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 seven aces in five consecutive games.
Southwest's victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-10. As for Blue Eye, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4-1 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Monday's contest: Southwest has serving mastered this season, having averaged 6.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Blue Eye struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Southwest came up short against Blue Eye when the teams last played back in August, falling 2-0. Will Southwest have more luck at home instead of on the road? 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
