On Tuesday Licking Valley will have to hit the road after three straight games at home. They will challenge the Watkins Memorial Warriors at 7:00 p.m.
Licking Valley is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Licking Heights just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell 3-1 to the Hornets. While the Panthers didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Hornets 25-21 in the first period.
Licking Valley started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 20-25, 25-21, 25-12, 25-23.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kendall Tucker, who had 15 digs and two aces. The team also got some help courtesy of Sophia Stokes, who had 12 digs and four aces.
She wasn't the only good server: Licking Valley 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 five aces in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Watkins Memorial had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They skirted past Granville 3-2.
Watkins Memorial wouldn't go down easily and took Granville into a fifth set where they got it done with a three-point win. The final score came out to 18-25, 25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12.
Watkins Memorial had a senior duo take command as Lizzie Bricker had 26 digs and two aces and Michelle Downs had 17 digs and two aces. Those 26 digs set a new season-high mark for Bricker.
Licking Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 10-9. As for Watkins Memorial, their victory bumped their record up to 7-13.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Tuesday's contest: Licking Valley has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.2 aces per game. However, it's not like Watkins Memorial struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.4. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Licking Valley beat Watkins Memorial 3-1 in their previous meeting back in September. The rematch might be a little tougher for Licking Valley since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
