The Willard Tigers will be taking part in a tournament against the Eldon Mustangs at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, Willard beat Glendale 3-1. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Tigers.
While Willard might've won, it sure wasn't easy: Glendale scored at least 20 points in every set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22.
Ashlyn Hurd
| 09/25/25 @ Glendale | 9 |
| 09/23/25 vs Central | 4 |
| 09/22/25 @ Logan-Rogersville | 1 |
| 09/19/25 vs Branson | 5 |
| 09/19/25 @ Camdenton | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Willard to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ashlyn Hurd, who had nine digs and three aces. That's the most digs Hurd has posted over her last seven contests. Another player making a difference was Ava Simpson, who had 13 digs and three aces.
They weren't the only good servers: Willard was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 17 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in nine consecutive matchups.
Eldon won the last time they faced Father Tolton and Sarah Tompkins did her part to make sure it happened again. The Mustangs blew past Father Tolton 3-0 on Wednesday for which the team can thank Tompkins, who had 14 digs and one assist. Simpson has been hot recently, having also posted two or more aces the last four times she's played.
Eldon never let Father Tolton on the board, but things got pretty close in the second set. The final score came out to 25-21, 26-24, 25-16.
Willard's win bumped their record up to 11-5-2. As for Eldon, their victory bumped their record up to 8-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's match: Willard hasn't let much over the net this season, having averaged 4.2 blocks per game. It's a different story for Eldon, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.8 blocks. Given Willard's sizable advantage in that area, the Mustangs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Willard beat Eldon 2-0 in their previous meeting back in September of 2024. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
