CARTERVILLE – The Massac County Patriots traveled to Carterville for a SIRR matchup, toppling the Lions in two sets, 25-16 and 25-11 respectively. This snapped Carterville’s seven game winning streak and undefeated conference record. The Lions will shift their focus to the two-day Champaign Central tournament.

This game was one to forget for Carterville. The first set started out closely, with the Lions trailing just behind the Patriot’s lead. Carterville got the lead down to 19-15, and Massac didn’t look back. They closed the first set out on a 6-1 run and took that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 16-7 lead in the final set. When the buzzer sounded, Massac had taken the set 25-11.

When asked about how the team plans to shift mindsets from Thursday night’s game to the weekend slate, junior Layla Yates said “We know that we are a much better team than how we performed last night, so we are going to put it behind us and work together to be better in the future.”

Carterville will face two central Illinois teams, providing a new look against different competitions. For updates on everything Carterville athletics, follow @Lion_Ath_CHS on Instagram and @CHS_Lion_Ath on Twitter/X.