The New Canaan Rams will face off against the Ridgefield Tigers at 3:45 p.m. on Friday.
New Canaan is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Staples just ended the team's 12-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell 3-1 to the Wreckers. While the Rams didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Wreckers 25-21 in the first set.
New Canaan started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The final score came out to 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-18.
Meanwhile, Ridgefield had already won two in a row and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They walked away with a 3-1 win over the Hilltoppers.
Ridgefield was especially dominant in the first set. The match finished with set scores of 25-12, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22.
New Canaan better focus on containing Jackson Dell and Adam Swiergosz as the pair were huge in Ridgefield's win. Dell had 15 digs and two aces, while Swiergosz had seven digs and three aces. Swiergosz is also on a roll when it comes to assists, as he's now posted 17 or more in each of the last 12 games he's played.
The victory got Ridgefield back to even at 9-9. As for New Canaan, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-3.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: New Canaan has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.1 aces per game. However, it's not like Ridgefield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.1 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
New Canaan took their win against Ridgefield in their previous matchup last Monday by a conclusive 3-0 score. Do the Rams have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
