EDWARDSVILLE – A young girls’ volleyball team at Edwardsville High no doubt got their biggest win of the season Tuesday evening at Lucco-Jackson Gym, as the Tigers took a 25-21, 25-20 decision over O’Fallon in a Southwestern Conference match.

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The Panthers were number three in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch large school poll and were 20-4 going into Tuesday’s match.

Tigers coach Lisa Orlet was very happy with the win and how her team played throughout the match.

“Oh, absolutely,” Orlet said. “Very excited. O’Fallon’s a very nice team, they’re senior-laden, and have a strong game. I saw them play at Belleville East, and they have a very, very solid. So, very proud of the way our girls played tonight.”

The Tigers, with only one senior and two juniors on their roster, bounced back very well after a tough loss to St. Louis-power Cor Jesu Academy in their last home match.

“I was very proud of how they stuck with it through their errors,” Orlet said, “and didn’t let it get to them. And you know, just played as a team. They’re starting to trust each other a lot more, and you can see it on the floor. So, very proud of what they created tonight.”

Many of the younger players, such as Maddie Isringhausen, Alexa Harris, Storm Suhre and Morgan Tulacro, came up big for Edwardsville on the evening.

“Yes, absolutely,” Orlet said. “I think Maddie Isringhausen did a great job. Morgan has been working really hard at connecting with the hitters, and we’ve really just drilled it hard in practice, and so it was nice to see her and Storm getting some strong connections tonight.”

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The teams began game one trading points, getting to 7-7 before the Tigers went on the first streak of the match. After a Corinne Timmerman kill made it 8-7, Harris served up six consecutive points, helped out by a pair of Isringhausen spikes that made it 12-7, forcing a Panther timeout. Timmerman and Gabby Saye combined on a block that made it 14-7 before O’Fallon got the ball back. After an exchange of points, the Panthers, behind the serving of Kyla Ellis and a spike from Kenzie Simmers, rallied to make it 16-12.

Madeline James then served up a pair to make it 17-14, forcing Edwardsville to call time, then a service ace and a kill from Simmers cut the lead to 17-16. The Tigers then regained control with four in a row, behind a Suhre block and three consecutive service aces to make it 21-16. O’Fallon got again to within one at 21-20, but the Tigers put things away with four of the last five points of the game, winning it with an Isringhausen kill that won the game 25-21.

The second game started out much the same way, with both sides trading points before the Tigers scored five in a row, as a Harris spike, a deflected kill from Timmerman and a service ace gave Edwardsville a 10-5 lead. The Panthers called timeout, but the Tigers were able to extend the lead to 12-6 before O’Fallon rallied to make it 12-9. A block, a Taylor Guy spike and a net violation helped cut the Tiger lead to 13-12, then the teams traded points again before Edwardsville extended the lead again to 18-13. With the score 19-15, a deflected spike and Isringhausen kill made it 21-15, as the Panthers again called time. O’Fallon rallied to make it 22-19, but another Isringhausen kill and an errant shot into the net brought the Tigers to match point at 24-19. A dig went long, giving the ball back to the Panthers, but a spike by the Tigers ended the game and match with the 25-20 final.

The Tigers’ hard work in their practices are starting to pay dividends, and Orlet is very pleased with the players’ efforts.

“Definitely,” Orlet said. “They’re pushing hard, and they’re challenging each other, and they’re very much supporting each other, so they’re starting to believe. And that’s all a coach could ask for, right?”

The Tigers next travel to Belleville East for a conference match Thursday evening, then play in a tournament in the Chicagoland area before hosting Alton Oct. 11 and their final home match Oct. 15 versus Breese Mater Dei, The IHSA playoffs are coming soon, and Orlet will take things one day at a time.

“We’re feeling pretty good, trying to just take it one day at a time, and keep growing,” Orlet said. “We’re going to have some tough match-ups this week with Belleville East, and then going to Chicago this weekend, so we’ll be tested a lot.

“Just very, very proud tonight,” Orlet added. “It was very proud to watch the girls come together and believe in their talents.”

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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