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“It’s going to be another really tough, competitive match,” coach Katie Kinman said. “I think that we match up really well with them.”

The contest is set for tonight at 7 p.m. at Verona High School. It will be the fourth matchup of the season between the teams. The Red Hawks have beaten the Spartans 2-1 twice, and lost the other 2-0.

The last duel was Sept. 6. Milton’s changed a lot since then, and on tape, Kinman spotted four new key Madison Memorial players compared to the previous matchups.

“We played a different offense and had different lineups than we do now,” Kinman said. “They also have different lineup. They definitely are a different team than what we originally saw and so we’re preparing for that.”

The Spartans are 24-14 and went 5-4 in the Big Eight Conference. Milton is 26-14 and went 5-2 in the Badger Large. The Red Hawks will be coming off a four-set victory 22-25, 27-25, 27-25, 25-22 over No. 3-seed Janesville Craig. The Spartans took down No. 2 Burlington in five sets 15-25, 25-20, 25-14, 14-25, 15-5.

The Red Hawks will have their eyes on No. 14 Hannah Mlsna, a senior middle and right-side hitter that Kinman expects to be a critical piece in the Spartans’ offense on Thursday.

“She is mainly a middle, but they have her randomly throughout matches swinging across the net depending on different lineups,” Kinman said. “They also have some additional pin hitters that they didn’t have before that are pretty strong.”

The multiple sources of go-to offense could provide trouble for Milton. Against Janesville Craig, Milton won in part because of the Cougars inability to spread out their offense.

Kinman also said that played a part in the Red Hawks beating the Spartans in the prior matchups.

Diversifying attacks will also be a key for the Red Hawks’ offense. Junior setter Emme Dummer draws that responsibly.

“We also have strong hitters across the board,” Kinman said. “I think our hitters will match up well against them. We just have to try and stay in system more often. One thing I noticed we can beat them on is trying to stay in system, and therefore running at a faster tempo.”

If Milton moves on, it will face either No. 1 Verona or No. 4 Mukwonago in the sectional championship.

“Nothing is out of our reach,” Kinman said. “Everyday we look up at our board and reflect on our years. Today they reflected — we’ve never had a sectional championship in Milton history. And so we could potentially be that team if we focus on one game at a time.”