The Inspiration Academy Lions will square off against the IMG Academy Black Ascenders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.
On Tuesday, Inspiration Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Cambridge Christian and fell 3-2.
While Inspiration Academy ultimately came up short, they really made Cambridge Christian work, particularly in the fourth set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-10.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Black was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They were a single set away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Evangelical Christian. While the Ascenders didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Sentinels 25-17 in the first set.
IMG Academy Black couldn't get the win, but they sure gave Evangelical Christian a tough time in the second set. The final score came out to 17-25, 30-28, 23-25, 25-12, 15-10.
Inspiration Academy will have to keep a close watch on Catalina Merhab Rivera and Willa Simmons, a pair of players who had a big impact on IMG Academy Black's prior game. Merhab Rivera had 27 digs and four assists, while Simmons had 13 assists and ten digs. Merhab Rivera is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had ten or more in each of the last five games she's played. Siena Desebizian also deserves some recognition as she had her first kill of the season.
IMG Academy Black's defeat dropped their record down to 1-9-1. As for Inspiration Academy, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.
