The Ozark Tigers will face off against the Liberty North Eagles at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Ozark will come into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
On Thursday, Ozark made easy work of Glendale and carried off a 3-0 victory.
Not only was the match a shutout, it was a big one: Ozark took every set by at least 13 points. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-9, 25-12, 25-12.
Blue Springs South came into Thursday's match looking for another win against Liberty North, but Olivia Derenzy wouldn't allow it. The Eagles walked away with a 3-1 win over the Jaguars on Thursday for which the team can thank Derenzy, who had 13 digs and four aces. She is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 11 or more in each of the last five games she's played.
Liberty North had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 17-25, 25-11, 25-23, 25-21.
Ozark's victory bumped their record up to 19-0. As for Liberty North, their win bumped their record up to 10-12.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's matchup: Ozark has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 6.3 aces per game. However, it's not like Liberty North struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.6 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ozark came up short against Liberty North in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 2-0. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
