The Muskies and Sabres meet for ninth straight year in a series Lakeland controlled at first but Marian has caught up in recent years. The Sabres have won the last four meetings, including a three-set sweep at home in Fond du Lac last season March 22, 2023. Marian also won the last matchup at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium, also in three sets just under two years ago on March 16, 2022. The Muskies' last win in the series was a four-set victory at home March 11, 2020 in a match that will be forever remembered as both teams' final one that season, for two days later the emergence of the COVID-19 virus resulted in the cancellation of all Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference schools' seasons. The teams have been meeting regularly since Marian's first varsity season in 2016. Lakeland won the first four matchups, including a four-set victory in the first meeting Feb. 17, 2016, before the Sabres scored their first win in five sets Feb. 9, 2018.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Benedictine 3-0 Friday
The Muskies saw a brief two-match winning streak snapped when they fell to the NACC's leading team so far this season. Lakeland had a good chance to send the match to a fourth set but the Eagles pulled through to close a 25-15, 25-17, 25-23 victory and remain undefeated in conference. The Muskies led 22-18 in the third before Benedictine closed the match on a 7-1 run. Ben Busalacchi posted a match-high nine kills and added two service aces, Eli Weinrich finished with seven kills and Chase Anderson also totaled 25 assists. The match was just the fourth three-set match in 15 so far this season for Lakeland, which has played seven five-set matches and four more four-setters.

Marian last time out: Defeated Wisconsin Lutheran 3-0 last night
The Sabres are playing for the second straight day after defeating the Warriors last night in a NACC match. Marian scrapped out the first set and went on to a 26-24, 25-20, 25-17 victory to move to 4-1 in conference play. Derek Wills posted 13 kills and Isaac Dreifuerst added nine kills and three service aces as the Sabres hit .271 as a team. Marc Rey also posted eight blocks (two solo, six assisted) and Marian as a team finished with 12 blocks.

The Sabres are 13-4 overall in their first year under new coach Noah Ray, who took over for Tyler Wills, who led the program to its two best seasons as a varsity program the previous two years. Marian finished 23-8 overall in 2022 and went 14-10 last year, including a 7-5 league mark. The Sabres enter in a three-way tie for third, 1 1/2 games behind NACC-leading Benedictine.

Anderson for 1,000: Lakeland sophomore setter Chase Anderson recently surpassed the 1,000-assist mark for his career, making him just the fourth to reach that milestone in the program's 11-year varsity history. Anderson has 1,046 career assists, fourth-best in school history. He has a long way to go to move up on the list, as he is 462 assists behind Jordan Smith's 1,508 assists over 2014 and 2015 that ranks third in program history.