MANKATO &045; At times, the Albert Lea Tigers had the defending Big Nine volleyball champions on the ropes.

They just couldn’t keep them there.

The Tigers played well in games two and three, forcing the Scarlets to call more than one time out, but West wound up on top 3-0 in a Big Nine match at Mankato Thursday night. Game scores were 25-11, 25-22, 25-19.

&uot;We didn’t play too bad,&uot; said Tigers coach Gina Eppen. &uot;Again, we had some passing errors in game one. They have some real strong servers. Once we adjusted to it in games two and three, things picked up. It was the fastest pace we’ve seen this year and I think the girls adjusted real well.&uot;

The Tigers’ leaders: Amber Edwards, nine kills, three blocks, nine digs; Danielle Rankin, four kills, one block, one ace, 10 digs; Katie Brackey, one kill, six assists, one block, 15 digs; Jenna Brackey, one kill, five assists, one block, 14 digs; and Emily Bartusek, two kills, one ace, one assist, 10 digs.

Eppen said it was a big improvement from last year’s meeting with West.

&uot;Last year Mankato West came here and it didn’t take long,&uot; said Eppen. &uot;To have a team like West that’s usually sitting on top of the conference on the ropes for a while was a nice feeling.&uot;

The Tigers finally have their home opener next Thursday, when Owatonna comes to town for parents night.