After flying high against East Haven last Monday, Branford came back down to earth. The Branford Hornets took a 3-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Foran Lions on Thursday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Hornets of the 3-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture on September 5th.
Branford started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18.
Branford's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Julianne Henkel, who had 16 digs, five kills, and five kills. Henkel is also on a roll when it comes to aces, as she's now served two or more in the last five games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Sophie Santos, who had 16 digs and nine kills.
Even though they lost, Branford 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 eight consecutive games.
Leading Foran to victory were Gracie Brooks and Nyah Boromei. Brooks had 17 kills and 13 digs, while Boromei had six digs, three kills, three aces, and three aces. The team also got some help courtesy of Gaby Magnuson, who had 11 digs, three aces, and three aces.
Branford dropped their record down to 4-6 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Foran, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 10-1.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Branford will venture away from home to square off against Lauralton Hall at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Lauralton Hall will roll in looking for their ninth straight victory, something Branford surely won't give up without a fight. As for Foran, they will square off against West Haven at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Foran is facing West Haven at the right time seeing as West Haven is stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
