Smithfield-Selma is 0-10 against Cleveland since October of 2016 but things could change on Tuesday. The Spartans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Rams at 5:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Tuesday.
Smithfield-Selma not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since September 8th (when they won 3-0). They blew past Eastern Wayne 3-0.
The 3-0 score doesn't show just how dominant Smithfield-Selma was: they took every set by at least 11 points. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-10, 25-14, 25-11.
Smithfield-Selma's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Dezirey Clark, who had eight aces. That's the most aces Clark has posted since back in August. The team also got some help courtesy of Karmen Cyrus, who had 19 assists and two aces.
They weren't the only good servers: Smithfield-Selma was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 25 aces. That's the most aces they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Cleveland got the win against Southeast Raleigh on Thursday by a conclusive 3-0.
Not only was the match a shutout, it was a big one: Cleveland took every set by at least 13 points. The final score came out to 25-5, 25-9, 25-12.
Smithfield-Selma better keep an eye on Sara Shaw. She was instrumental in Cleveland's win, getting five digs and five aces.
Cleveland's victory bumped their record up to 16-4. As for Smithfield-Selma, their win bumped their record up to 7-14.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's match: Smithfield-Selma has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 10 aces per game. However, it's not like Cleveland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.9 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Smithfield-Selma might still be hurting after the 3-0 loss they got from Cleveland in their previous meeting back in September. Will the Spartans have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other volleyball content.
