JERSEYVILLE -The Jersey Panthers used a strong defensive effort to top East Alton-Wood River in girls volleyball on Thursday night 25-18, 25-11.
The East Alton-Wood River High School girls varsity volleyball team loaded up their school buses and headed to the Jerseyville Community High School to face off against the Panthers beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3.
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In the first of two non-conference matches, the Panthers and the Oilers fought diligently against one another, with plenty of action happening on the court. It seemed that serving tended to be the Panthers’ achilles’ heel during their first match.
“We didn’t serve really well at all,” JCHS Head Volleyball Coach Bob Siemer said, “We had six or seven bad serves.”
Although their serving was not up to par for their coach, the Panthers persevered in the closest of the two matches. Jerseyville defense was second to none, as senior Hannah Greene (#8) did an excellent job blocking for her team. Standing at 5’8”, Greene towered over the net and made some great saves for the panthers.
“We didn’t think we had anyone that could jump as high as [Greene] to block,” Siemer said, “Tonight, we kind of had that advantage like Calhoun has.”
The Panthers beat the Oilers 25-18 in their first set.
After switching sides and a quick meeting with their coaches, the girls headed back on to the court. The Oilers hoped to extend their play as the Panthers hoped to end the evening with a bang.
The second set of the game was not only intense for the players; the audience got quite heated as well. The Panthers fans in the right side of the stands spouted chants cheering on their home team. Some Oilers fans that had travelled with the team, along with junior varsity players, created their own fan section, countering every spat against their team.
Serving was not an issue this time around for the Panthers.
“We tried to clean [serving] up in our second game and it really showed,” Siemer said.
It really did show. The Panthers ultimately the final set 25-11, allowing the team to gain their 2-0 victory of the night.
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