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Sports

Oswego Beats Oswego East For First Win

Panthers drop Wolves 25-19, 25-14

OSWEGO — It may have taken seven matches for the girls volleyball team to get a victory this season, but the Panthers are happy finally to get their first win under their belts.

 (1-6) claimed a 25-19, 25-14 triumph over cross-town and Southwest Prairie Conference rival (2-4) on Tuesday night at .

"It's been pretty even, back and forth," Oswego coach Erica Lorenz said about the rivalry. "Usually they will win one, we will win one in the season​, but this is a good win for us. It is the first conference game, first win (laughter), yeah!"

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coach Adam Thurlwell agreed that the series has been pretty even.

"I think in my four years, we've split every year," he said. "So, right now we're down 0-1 and we would like to continue the tradition — as much as I'd like to be 2-0. But, yeah, I'd take 1-1 again, after tonight I'd gladly take it."

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Both teams were missing some players. was missing outside hitter Sydney Volovski, who injured her right wrist. Lorenz hopes to have her back in the lineup the next time the Panthers face . The rematch is scheduled 6 p.m. on Sept. 29 at .

Nicole Burge, who patrols the middle for the Wolves, was out of the lineup due to rolling an ankle and that caused to shuffle things around.

"We had our middle go down in practice on Friday, so we had Saturday and Monday to fix it," Thurlwell said. "So I had to move around a couple of girls. We had been playing together since Aug. 10, and it is Sept. 6 today. All of a sudden, I'm like, new team go out there. It's tough. It's that trust issue. A couple of aces, girls looking at each other, it's just that team cohesiveness, and I told the girls that. I said, 'Listen, I don't think you played that bad, you just didn't look like a team.' "

As for 's tough start, the Panthers chalk it up to playing in a tough tournament.

"We played some tough competition at the Plainfield North tournament, which set us back at 0-5," Lorenz said. "We were in a pool with the team that won the tournament, St. Charles North. We played pretty well though."

Against Yorkville, Lornez's team took the Foxes to three games but lost. She said her team was battling for the win.

's Brittany Maertzig led her team with seven kills with Katherine Daley following with five. Destiny Stuersel had three kills, seven assists and seven digs.

"I was happy to see (Brittany) come alive," Lorenz said. "Being aggressive in the front row, playing good defense, great serve ... she did a really great job for us."

The Wolves, who finished eighth at the Plainfield North tournament with a 2-3 record to start the season, were led by junior outside hitter Brittany Warnecke, who had four kills. Freshman Kelly Bertrand had three kills, senior libero Jordan Reifsteck had nine digs, three aces, four points and senior setter Natalia Mendieta had eight assists and two aces.

"I was a little surprised we weren't as aggressive; it's ," Thurlwell said. "I thought we'd come out guns a blazin', fired up."

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