Appleton East hasn't had much luck against Kimberly recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Patriots will face off against the Papermakers at 7:00 p.m. Appleton East will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Appleton East is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They walked away with a 3-1 victory over Kaukauna.
Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19.
Meanwhile, Kimberly made easy work of Hortonville last Thursday and carried off a 3-0 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Papermakers have posted against the Polar Bears since September 12, 2022.
The final score came out to 25-8, 25-10, 25-19.
Appleton East better keep an eye on Emma Tesch. She was instrumental in Kimberly's win, getting 17 assists and eight digs. That's the most digs Tesch has posted over her last 16 contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Adia Munn, who had five aces and four digs.
Kimberly was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 12 aces. That's the most aces they've managed all season.
Appleton East's record is now 13-24. As for Kimberly, their record now sits at 28-13.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's match: Appleton East has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.3 aces per game. However, it's not like Kimberly struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.5 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Appleton East suffered a grim 3-0 defeat to Kimberly when the teams last played back in September. Can the Patriots avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
