ALTON - Edwardsville's girls volleyball team was able to control play at the net, which allowed the defense to read the attacks well, and overcame a deficit to rally back in a tight second set to take a 25-17, 25-23 win over Quincy in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 4A Alton regional Tuesday evening at the Redbirds Nest.
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The top-seeded Tigers played well and worked hard after falling behind in the second set to gain the win and advance to Thursday evening's final against Belleville West, who defeated the host Redbirds in the second semifinal match 25-21, 25-12 to move on to the final.
"Quincy was an aggressive team who made phenomenal plays to keep the ball alive," said Edwardsville head coach Heather Ohlau. "We were able to control the net, which allowed our defense to read the attacks. Our attackers were able to mix up their shots and produce offensively."
When the Tigers fell behind in the second set, it was old-fashioned hard work and determination that brought Edwardsville back to the front and enabled them to close out the match.
"We got down early in the second set." Ohlau said, "and we had to work twice as hard to regain the lead. We continue to grow and will be back in the gym, preparing to face Belleville West for the regional championship.
Sydney Davis led the Tigers with eight points and two aces, while Hanna Matarelli served up six points and an ace. Maddie Reader had three blocks and Shelby Lee came up with two blocks, Reader, Davis and Lucy Goebel all had six kills each, while Madalyn Ohlau had four kills, Megan Knobeloch had 13 assists, with Sara Gouy coming up with 12 assists, and Matarelli had 11 digs.
The Blue Devils end their season 21-14, while the Tigers are now 24-12 and meet the Maroons for the second time in a week Thursday evening in the regional final, which will get underway at 6 p.m. in Alton.
Collinsville Girls Volleyball Wins In Regional By Forfeit
In another regional semifinal at O'Fallon's OTHS Panther Dome, Collinsville won by forfeit over Belleville East 25-0, 25-0 and advanced to the final of the O'Fallon regional, where the Kahoks will play the host Panthers, who won over Granite City 25-15, 25-10, on Thursday evening at 6 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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