BELLEVILLE – Edwardsville won five of the six singles flights Saturday to take its fifth straight Southwestern Conference girls tennis championship at the league tournament at Belleville West.
The Tigers won the title with 71 points, with O’Fallon and Belleville East took an equal second-place finish 59 points each. The host Maroons finished fourth with 42 points, followed by Alton (36), Collinsville (28), Granite City (18) and East St. Louis (11).
The biggest win of the day came from Natalie Karibian at in the second flight as she grinded out 3-6, 6-2, 18-16 win over the Lancers’ Isabel Burwitz. The Tigers’ Morgan Colbert dropped the final at No. 1 singles to East’s Chloe McIssac, Colbert falling 6-3, 6-4.
Grace Desse won at No. 3 singles with a 6-2, 6-1 win over O’Fallon’s Mady Schriber; Mackenzie Cadigan triumphed in No. 4 singles over East’s Miley Brunner 6-4, 6-3, Maria Mezo took No. 5 singles 6-3, 6-3 over the Panthers’ Kate Macaluso and Abby Cimarolli won No. 6 singles with a 6-0, 6-2 win over the Lancers’ Maddie Buscher.
Edwardsville head girls tennis coach Dave Lipe said it was definitely a positive weekend for his kids.
“We had a doubles sweep on Friday and won five of six of the singles flights,” he said. “Natalie had a very dramatic win 18-16 in a third-set, tie-breaker. Her match was a great match. It was a phenomenal weekend. The Southwestern Conference is one of the best in the state of Illinois year-in, year-out, and winning a conference championship is an achievement worth noting.”
Alton had fourths at No. 1 singles from Abbey Fischer and at No. 1 doubles on Friday when Fischer/Hannah Macias dropped their third-place match. Macias at No. 2 singles, Sam Clayton at No. 3 singles, Maddie Saenz at No. 5 singles, Mackenzie Giertz at No. 6 singles on Saturday and Clayton/Saenz at No. 2 doubles and Mackenzie and Cali Giertz at No. 3 doubles on Friday all took fifth-pace finishes. Lucy Phillips was seventh in No. 4 singles for the Redbirds.
Kayla Bridick and Olivia Brinker both finished sixth in their singles flights for Granite City; Kourtney Singleton and Emma Van Buskirk took seventh in their singles flights for the Warriors, who also got sevenths from all three of their doubles teams on Friday.
All eight Southwestern Conference teams along with Chatham Glenwood and Springfield will be at next weekend’s IHSA Class 2A Belleville East Sectional tournament as a new two-class era in Illinois tennis gets under way. 
