The Albert Lea volleyball team had to seemingly wait forever to have its first match of the season.

It finally came when the Tigers hosted the Burnsville Blaze Tuesday night.

The Tigers had a rough first set, as new coach Cathy Baumann’s tenure as head coach didn’t get off to a great start. But it didn’t take long for her team to start clicking. After losing the first set, the Tigers won three of the next four to start the season 1-0.

The Tigers won the second set 25-15, before falling 25-23 in the third set. Albert Lea took the fourth set by a score of 25-22 to set up a fifth and deciding set.

The Tigers played well inside a hot gym, and senior leadership helped propel them to a 15-10 victory in the fifth set.

Albert Lea won’t have to wait nearly as long for its second match of the season. Albert Lea will take on Owatonna Thursday.

The match was originally scheduled to be played in Owatonna, but due to an issue, the match will be played at Albert Lea High School.

Start time for the match is set for 7 p.m.