EDWARDSVILLE - Ciara Cunningham, a senior hitter who helped Edwardsville advance to the IHSA Class 4A girls volleyball sectional this season, signed a letter of intent to play for Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., in a ceremony held in the auditorium of the Jon Davis Wrestling Center.
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Cunningham, one of two seniors on this year's Tigers team, helped the Tigers go on to a 25-12 record this season, advancing to the O'Fallon sectional, losing to Belleville East 25-17, 25-14 on Nov. 4.
She is a Spencer Homes Female Athlete Of The Month for the Tigers.
During the past season, Cunningham served up 17 points, with five aces, and led the Tigers with 253 kills, with 58 assists, 54 of them on the defensive side, and also had 58 blocks, four of them solo, and 75 digs on the season.
The Golden Eagles compete in the Summit League, and finished their past season 3-25, 1-15 in the conference. ORU is coached by Nolan Albrecht.
In the IHSA Class 4A regional final at Granite City Memorial Gym Oct. 30, a match won by the Tigers 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, Cunningham came up with seven kills and three blocks, while in the sectional semifinal Nov. 4 against Belleville East at O'Fallon's OTHS Panther Dome, she had seven kills and one block in a match the Tigers lost 25-17, 25-14. For the season, Cunningham served up 17 points and eight aces, delivered 259 kills and 58 assists, 54 defensively, came up with 58 blocks, and had 75 digs in helping the Tigers to another successful campaign.
In a post-match interview after the win over the Blue Devils in the regional final, Cunningham felt that the win was a breakthrough for the team.
"Yes, it is amazing," Cunningham said with a big smile, "finally breaking that stigma that our program can't get out of the regional, and doing it the whole time, not just walking over a team, truly having to fight the whole time, because they were phenomenal."
It was three of the best sets of volleyball anyone would want to see, with Edwardsville being able to come through in the end to eliminate Quincy in a hard-fought match.
"They were absolutely phenomenal," Cunningham said, "and it's amazing for us to play such a good team, and a good game right before going to the sectionals, because it shows our team that we can fight, we can pull out these. And it's just preparing us, because from hereon out, nothing's going to be easy or given to us."
Cunningham and the Tigers delivered the key shots and kills at the end of the match that allowed them to take the third set and the match.
"Yes, it felt amazing," Cunningham said. "If I'm being honest, I don't truly remember that much," she said with a laugh. "I was being stressed the whole time. But the whole time, it felt amazing, even on the points we weren't getting, but to see our team working together, and finally doing the things we've been trying to get together the whole year."
Edwardsville moved on to the sectional match against the Lancers, who defeated the Tigers at Lucco-Jackson Gym late in the regular season in a match that enabled East to share the Southwestern Conference title with Edwardsville at 10-2 each.
