GRANITE CITY - Alexis Ruiz was a senior outside hitter for the girls' volleyball team at Granite City High School, and despite the Warriors ending the season with a 5-19-1 record, she was very proud of her team and how hard they worked over the season.
The Warriors lost their final match of the year to Edwardsville in the IHSA Class 4A regional at Granite City Memorial Gym 25-14, 25-3, but Ruiz had a good year statistically. She ended up with 42 kills, served up 46 points with eight aces, 13 blocks, and 85 digs, becoming a key player for a young team.
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Alexis is a Stillwater Senior Living Female Athlete of the Month.
In her post-match interview that followed the loss to the Tigers, Ruiz felt much pride in how hard the Warriors worked on the court and in practice sessions this season.
"I'm sad it had to end this way," Ruiz said, "but I'm really proud of our team for the way that we worked. I'm just proud of our team. Sadly, we lost this way, but I feel we'll come out better next year, our team will."
The Tigers completely dominated in the second set, reeling off the first 17 points of the set, but the Warriors didn't quit and hung in there doing what they could to stop the run. It proved to be very difficult to overcome.
"We tried our best," Ruiz said, "and we put in the work. But it just never worked, and they (Edwardsville) were the better team today. They just outplayed us."
In looking back at the entire body of work for Granite this season, Ruiz says she will be able to have much pride when she reflects on the team's improvement and closeness as a group.
"I think we did a pretty good job," Ruiz said. "We hung in with teams that we've never played before. I think the work we put in was amazing, and our progress was amazing."
Although she's a graduating senior this year, Ruiz feels optimistic about the future of girls' volleyball in Granite City, and of the team as well.
"Yeah, I think it'll be great," Ruiz said. "I think there are a lot of girls on our team who I think we'll put the work in for next year. I'm just proud of our team."
