Searching for redemption after last year’s ninth place finish, the EHS girls volleyball team came in second out of 16 teams at the annual Tiger Classic.

The team went 3-0 during pool play but fell in the finals to first time champion Oakville with a 25-21, 25-20 loss, according to the Edwardsville Intelligencer.

Coach Lisa Orlet said that the second place finish will help the team focus for the rest of the season.

“They didn’t get that championship, but with it being so early in the season I was really happy because I feel like they learned a lot from that loss,” Orlet said.

The weekend provided good insight into what the team could improve upon, according to sophomore Kaitlyn Conway.

“We need to work on… being more efficient with our time and getting a good win while working together,” Conway said.

The team has been working to improve its skills this season, according to Orlet.

“They’ve been practicing harder to be more consistent and reduce unforced errors,” Orlet said.

Training wasn’t the only thing that caused the high finish at the Tiger Classic, senior Maddie Isringhausen said.

“This year we have all decided together we want to win and go as far as we can in the postseason, and while that was our goal last year, we didn’t know how to execute it,” Isringhausen said. “We are much more focused [this year] and are holding each other accountable during every play.”

Orlet said her focus has been making the girls into a team.

“We’ve been working really hard since the beginning of the year…” she said, ”and they’ve been doing really well at that.”

The tournament allows for teams to see their practices in action, according to Orlet.

“It’s a good way to kind of measure where you’re at and have each team grow from those experiences,” she said. “It’s a lot of great volleyball.”