ALTON - The doubles teams of Hannah Colbert and Chloe Trimpe, Chloe Koons and Grace Hackett and Emma Herman and Morgan Marshall swept all three flights of the competition in helping Edwardsville go out to the lead after the first day of the Southwestern Conference girls tennis tournament at Alton High School and Gordon Moore Park.

The Tigers are in first place with 21 points, with Belleville East in second with 17 points, O'Fallon is in third with 15 points, Belleville West is in fourth place with 13 points, the host Redbirds are in fifth with eight points, Collinsville is in sixth with seven points, and East St. Louis is in seventh with three points.

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The three doubles championships for his team helped make Edwardsville head coach Dave Lipe very happy at the end of the first day.

"Our kids played great today," Lipe said, "and we are looking forward to completing the tournament tomorrow. Hopefully, our kids can continue to thrive. Our opponents challenged us today, and we know they'll look to battle us tomorrow. We aren't taking anything or anyone for granted."

Alton head coach Jesse Macias was just as pleased with his team's play on the day.

"We had two fifth places and a sixth," Macias said, "and I thought we could have done better, but the girls played the best that they could. The tournament is really rugged, and our girls played good, but we'll have to play better tomorrow."

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Macias felt his number three team of Anna Kane and Amelia Redman played particularly well, especially Redman, who was making her varsity debut.

"It's Redman's first time in the tournament, and she and Anna were outstanding," Macias said. "Lydia Taul and Lydia Criveau played well, and our number one team (Paige Rockholm and Ainsley Fortschneider) also played well."

In the top flight, Rockholm and Fortschneider lost to Alyssa Riley and Hayley Neal of Belleville West 6-2, 6-2, and received a bye into the consolation final. Collinsville's Anna Falbe and Alyssa Garcia lost in their opener to Ali and Megan Mueller of O'Fallon 6-1, 6-0, and also received a bye into the consolation final, where they defeated Rockholm and Fortschneider 6-4, 6-4. Colbert and Trimpe received a bye into the semifinals, where they won over Riley and Neal 6-0, 6-1, then defeated the Muellers in the final 6-1, 6-1.

In the second flight, Criveau and Taul lost in the opener to the Maroons' Mariella Pellman and Caitlyn Kreher 6-0, 6-0, and received a bye into the consolation final. Collinsville's Anna Olsson and Loghan Phetsadasack lost their opener to Gabi Schram and Ava Taylor 6-0, 6-0, and also advanced on a bye to the consolation final, with Criveau and Taul winning 6-4, 6-1. Meanwhile, Koons and Hackett drew a bye into the semifinals, defeating Pellman and Kreher 6-1, 6-4, and then winning the final over the Lancers' Brodie Rauch and Abigail McIssac 6-2, 6-1.

In the third and final flight, Kane and Redman lost their opener to the Panthers' Megan Marrs and Analiese Reidelberger 6-4, 6-2, and also received a bye into the consolation final. Brinna Shea and Alondra Onate of the Kahoks lost their opener to Natalie Hampsten and Olivia Eiskant of West 6-1, 6-0, and also drew a bye into the consolation final, with Kane and Redman winning 6-0, 6-0. Herman and Marshall drew a bye into the semifinals, winning over Marrs and Reidelberger 6-4, 6-2, then taking the final over East's Maya Hathaway and Maria Copozzi 6-3, 6-4.

Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.

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