The Licking Valley Panthers will square off against the Utica Redskins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The last three games Licking Valley has played have been within one set, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Licking Valley had taken Watkins Memorial down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. The Panthers fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 3-2.
Licking Valley was was forced to take the loss, but they sure made Watkins Memorial work for it, especially in the fourth set. The match finished with set scores of 25-20, 23-25, 21-25, 26-24, 15-7.
Meanwhile, Utica hadn't done well against Heath recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Redskins were the clear victors by a 3-0 margin over the Bulldogs.
The victory didn't come easy: Heath scored at least 18 points in every set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-19, 25-21.
Licking Valley's loss dropped their record down to 11-10. As for Utica, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Thursday's matchup: Licking Valley has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 8.6 aces per game. However, it's not like Utica struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Licking Valley might still be hurting after the 3-0 defeat they got from Utica when the teams last played back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Redskins' Madison Yates, who had 21 digs and five assists. Now that the Panthers know the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
