Tigers Make Successful Return To Lucco-Jackson Gym With Straight Set Win Over Alton 25-20, 25-12
The Tigers secured victory over rival Alton, marking a home debut at Lucco-Jackson Gym after last season's floor repairs.
EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville girls volleyball team made a successful return to their home, Lucco-Jackson Gym, as well as opened their 2025 season on a successful note, taking a straight set win over Alton 25-20, 25-12 Tuesday evening, Sept. 2, 2025, in the Southwestern Conference opener for both sides.
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The Tigers were forced to play their home matches at Liberty Middle School last season while the floor at Lucco-Jackson Gym was damaged and undergoing repairs. Edwardsville celebrated its return to its home by playing well, and pulled away in the second set.
"Ir was a nice first match win," said Edwardsville head coach Heather Ohlau. "We've been in the gym, training for about three weeks now, and it was nice to kind of see where we're at in that training, and after this match, what we continuously need to work on."
The extra week pf preseason practice the Tigers had certainly paid off well for the club, as the team showed good cohesion and played a good match overall.
"Our hitters and defense have been working together with the setters," Ohlau said, "just to try get that setter-hitter connection, and work cohesively as a team. That's the benefit we had with the extra week, that we had that extra week to kind of build that trust, build that togetherness, and be able to compete as a team."
The attackers were the big standouts on the night for Edwardsville, and Ohlau had many good things to say about them.
"I would say all of our attackers," Ohlau said. "We were able to find all six positions at any given moment, our outside, our middle, our right side were a solid option. They were able to produce. And it wasn't just the powerful hits, they were taken, they were rolling, they were placing the ball, and so, I just think across the board. And then, our defense did a nice job of keeping the ball playable. We controlled the net with our block, our setters did a nice job. So, I think overall, it was just a true team effort. They worked together, they fought for each other, and we were able to come out with a win."
The most important thing from the win is now, Ohlau knows what the team's strengths are, and what they need to work on most back in the gym.
"Tomorrow's practice is geared for getting ready for O'Fallon on Thursday," Ohlau said, "and our Tiger Classic on Friday and Saturday. So we're going to take what we did today, and refine, and work on, and improve those areas that we continuously need to work on. It was a good opener."
The match started out well for Edwardsville, as Savannah Ford served up the first four points to give the Tigers an early 4-0 lead in the opening set. after which an exchange of points brought the set to 8-4 for the Tigers, when Olivia Certa served the Redbirds back into the set at 9-7, helped by brilliant play from Madeleine Ducey. Edwardsville rallied to take a 13-8 lead, which became 19-13. Edwardsville eventually made the score 24-17, and the point, but Alton, behind the service of Olivia Predigr and good play from Steen, cut the lead to 24-20. However, a missed shot gave Edwardsville the set 25-20 and a one-set lead in the match.
The two teams started off on level terms in the second set, but with Edwardsville leading 4-3, the Tigers began to assert themselves, with Madelyn Ohlau and Ariana Fusaro leading he charge, and the Tigers going ahead 18-7. Ducey helped lead a rally for Alton, that led to the Redbirds coming back to 22-12, but the Tigers closed out the match by scoring the final three points to win 25-12 and the match 2-0.
Lucy Malawy led the Tigers with five kills, while Ford came up with eight digs, Livia Goebel had three blocks, and Ford also had four points, 11 assists, and three aces.
The Tigers start off 1-0, and play at O'Fallon Thursday at 5:45 p.m., then host the Tiger Classic this weekend, playing Decatur Eisenhower on Friday, and both Breese Central and Collinsville in the group stage on Saturday, then play in a tournament the next weekend, Sept. 12-13.
The Redbirds are now 2-6, and host East St. Louis on Thursday at 5:45 p.m., play at O'Fallon on Sept. 9, also at 5:45 p.m., and host Imperial, Mo., Windsor on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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Dan Brannan also contributed to this story
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