After both having extra time off, the Vela Sabercats and the Lopez Lobos will shake off the rust and duke it out at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Vela took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They blew past Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest 3-0.
The match finished with set scores of 25-5, 25-13, 25-16.
Meanwhile, Lopez came tearing into Saturday's contest with five straight wins , and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single set of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against the Redskins.
Lopez got the W, but it wasn't easy, at least in the fourth set. The final score came out to 25-22, 21-25, 25-14, 28-30, 15-5.
Lopez's win came from a few key players Vela will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Nataly Palomino, who had 42 digs. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 24 or more in each of the last four games she's played. Paola Solis was another key player, getting 14 kills, 11 digs, and three blocks.
Vela's victory bumped their record up to 32-9. As for Lopez, their win bumped their record up to 28-8.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's match: Vela has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.8 aces per game. However, it's not like Lopez struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.4 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Vela was able to grind out a solid victory over Lopez when the teams last played back in August of 2023, winning 2-0. Will the Sabercats repeat their success, or do the Lobos have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
