The Lakeland Lakers will host the Lakewood Park Christian Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Last Tuesday, Lakeland didn't have quite enough to beat Churubusco and fell 3-2. The Lakers have struggled against the Eagles recently, as their game on Tuesday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Lakeland took a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth set, but sadly they lost the next two. The final score came out to 25-22, 13-25, 19-25, 25-13, 15-9.
Meanwhile, Lakewood Park Christian hadn't done well against Prairie Heights recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Lakewood Park Christian was the clear victor by a 3-0 margin over Prairie Heights. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Lakewood Park Christian has posted against Prairie Heights since August 17, 2015.
While Lakewood Park Christian won a shutout, things came down to the wire in the third set they played. The match finished with set scores of 25-15, 25-16, 25-23.
Among those leading the charge was Vanessa Crider, who had 19 digs. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 10.1 digs per game.
Lakewood Park Christian was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 13 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in six consecutive games.
Lakeland's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 17-9. As for Lakewood Park Christian, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's match: Lakeland has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 7.7 aces per game. However, it's not like Lakewood Park Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.7. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lakeland came out on top in a nail-biter against Lakewood Park Christian in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. Does Lakeland have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lakewood Park Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
