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EDWARDSVILLE - Maddie Isringhausen and Lexie Curtis were honored in prematch ceremonies on the annual Senior Night for the Edwardsville High School girls volleyball team on Tuesday evening, then the duo helped the Tigers win their final regular-season home match over Belleville West 25-19, 25-14 at Lucco-Jackson Gym.
The Tigers played very well throughout the match, and both Isringhausen and Curtis contributed to the win, with both having six kills, while Isringhausen also having 10 digs and seven service points.
"I thought we came out ready to play," Isringhausen said in a post-match interview, "the energy was good, and we just finished what we were supposed to."
Curtis echoed her teammate's thoughts.
"I think we came out strong," Curtis said, "and we finished the season well on our home court."
The Tigers have taken a mantra of taking care of business, and Tuesday's match was a perfect example of that, especially after the Maroons pushed the Tigers to the limit in their first match in Belleville on Sept. 24, a match won by Edwardsville 22-25, 25-21, 25-23.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Curtis said. "There's so much leadership on the court, and I think everyone just stepped up this game, and you know, we're ready for the next games to come, and hopefully, we'll make it pretty far."
"I think for us, it was that last time we played, what we went through with them," Isringhausen said, "and we know that we did not play well that game. So this game, we were ready to go out there and show them that how we can actually play. So we came out with energy high, leadership going, and we ended on that two-set win."
With the final home match of their careers having been played, both seniors shared a favorite memory of theirs being with the program.
"I think my favorite memory is definitely traveling with the whole team," Isringhausen said, "going to Chicago twice a year; I think that it's a lot of good vibe time, we have a lot of fun together in the hotel rooms or on the bus."
Curtis enjoyed the team's pregame rituals, where the Tigers would prepare for their matches, getting fired up for their opponents.
"I would say pregame rituals," Curtis said. "You know, we get pretty hyped up in the locker room, where we have a good time together, and I think today, we were really excited, where we just jammed out, and we're ready to come out and play."
As to the upcoming postseason, the Tigers are aware that they have the potential to go far in the IHSA Class 4A state volleyball series, and both Isringhausen and Curtis are very confident that the Tigers can bring the title back to both Southern Illinois and the Metro-East area.
"Oh, I mean I think we fully believe it," Curtis said. "We come out like a team we're supposed to when we play together, I think we can go really far."
Isringhausen feels the same way.
"I think, as a team, if we come out there ready to go, playing our own game," Isringhausen said. "We want to go to state, we want to win state; we're not scared to talk about it. We want to go far in the postseason, and we're going to do whatever it takes to get there."Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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