The Granite City Volleyball Regional championship matchup between Edwardsville and Metro-East Lutheran was a clear example of how far the game has come in the community.
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The gymnasium was filled with talent on both sides of the court, some friends off the court, with high school buildings just few yards apart. In the end, Edwardsville merged a 25-13, 25-9 winner, but Metro-East Lutheran fought the Tigers to the end.
“I thought we took care of business,” Edwardsville volleyball coach Andrew Bersett said. “We did make too many errors and weren’t as consistent as I would like, but we did some excellent things. It doesn’t get any easier for us. We have to pick up our speed offensively and limit our errors as we go forward.”
Bersett said he thought Metro-East Lutheran played his team a tough match and he was impressed with the talent level on their team.
Metro-East-Lutheran coach Jason Batty said it was a good thing to see the two teams from Edwardsville back in the regional finals again this year.
“A lot of the kids play club and sand volleyball together in the off season and are close,” he said. “It was great to see and it is a fun rivalry.” Metro-East Lutheran normally doesn’t play Edwardsville and the last Metro victory over Edwardsville came in the mid-90s in girls’ basketball.
Batty said he was proud of his kids for the determination and that they never gave up in the match.
Jake Vandever led Edwardsville with 23 assists; Ryan Bode added three assists. Vandever had eight service points; Will Frank had seven service points and four assists. Mike Horton and Frank had six kills.
Metro-East Lutheran’s A.J. Risavy had four kills and one ace serve. Thomas Schroader had two aces. Joseph had seven digs.
In the first set, the Tigers led 13-6, 16-7 and 19-9, but Metro-East Lutheran clawed back to 22-12, before surrendering to a 25-13 defeat. Edwardsville jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set and led 13-4, but then increased the lead to 18-7, the final was 25-9, with Metro-East Lutheran posting some late points.
Edwardsville, 27-6, plays in the Alton Sectional at 5:30 p.m. Friday against O’Fallon. Metro-East-Lutheran finishes with a 9-9 record.
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