Close out regular season with wins over Marissa and Marion and loss to Wesclin; finish 24-9 and 7-3
By Jim Beers
CHESTER — The Chester High School Lady Jacket Volleyball Team finished the 2023 regular season in Week 9 winning 2-of-3 matches to finish with 24 wins and 9 losses.
Monday October 16, CHS lost to Wesclin to finish the Cahokia Conference Illinois Division in the runner-up position and in 2nd Place with a conference record of 7-3.
The ladies closed out the regular season road tour Tuesday October 17 with a non-conference win against Marissa and at home Wednesday October 18 on Senior Night with a win against Marion.
CHS loses conference show down against Wesclin Monday October 16
Monday October 16 Chester hosted the Wesclin Lady Warriors in the Cahokia Conference Show-Down. Both teams came into the match with equal conference records of 7-2 and one would win the Cahokia Championship.
The evening started with a freshman match. Wesclin won that contest in two sets, 16-21 and 21-12.
Next was the JV match with Chester winning in two sets, 25-23 and 25-5. The Lady Jackets dominated the second set. Joella Eggemeyer served the Jackets to a 12-0 run to start the set. Avery Hasemeyer then took the Jackets to a 15-1 lead. Lexi Mott came into the serving position leading 18-2 and served CHS to 23-4. Facing game-point, Aubrey Colvis came to serve and secured the win, 25-5.
The varsity match was a three-set battle. The Lady Warriors took the first set, 16-25, to put the Jackets behind the 8-ball to stay in the match. In the opening seven rotations there were three ties and three lead changes. Chester led by 11-6 before Wesclin had a 5-0 run to tie the game, 11-11.
There was one more lead change before the Warriors ended the set on a 14-5 run to win, 16-25.
The second set was a knock-down-drag-out featuring eight ties and six lead changes. The game was tied for the last time, 24-24, when Chester’s Ellen McCormick came to serve the final two points and win the game, 26-24, to force a third, tie-breaking set.
The third set was equally dramatic and exciting with 12 ties and 11 lead changes. Neither team ever led by more than three points. The game was tied 23-23, when Wesclin called a time out. On the next serve, Chester called a time out when Wesclin took a 24-23 lead. The Warriors finished with the final points of the game, and secured the win, 23-25.
With the win, Wesclin became the 2023 Cahokia Conference Illinois Division Champion.
Alyssa Keith, Assistant Coach, said, “The girls were naturally upset, but they played the hardest I’ve seen them play this season. It is hard to tell them not to be upset with themselves, but they really shouldn’t be because they played a high level of volleyball and just came up a little short.”
In the loss, Jordan Buskohl led in kills with 10. Ellen McCormick led with an impressive 22 digs and Mabry Wingerter and Elaina Lutman each had 15 assists apiece. Maggie Caby led with two blocks.
With the loss the Lady Jackets fell to 22-9 overall and 7-3 in their final conference match of the year to finish 2nd.
Chester wins at Marissa in non-conference play
Tuesday October 17 the Lady Jackets made their final road trip of the regular season when they traveled to Marissa to take on the Lady Meteors. CHS rebounded from a very disappointing loss the night before with a two-set victory over Marissa, 25-11 and 25-14.
In the win Jordan Buskohl led the team in kills with 12 followed by Maggie Caby (5), Mabry Wingerter (3), Jazzi Merideth (3), Grace Welborn (2), and Liberty McCormick (1). Alexis Eggemeyer led with 8 aces. Mabry led the team in assists with 12.
Jazzi Merideth and Jordan Buskohl shared blocking accolades with a pair of block assists apiece. As a team, Chester recorded 38 digs led by Alexis Eggemeyer (13) and Ellen McCormick (12). Elaina Lutman added 7 and Mabry Wingerter added 3. Jazzi Merideth, Jordan Buskohl, and Camryn Wolff topped off that category with one dig apiece.
With the win, the Lady Jackets improved to 23-9 and gained momentum for the contest Wednesday to close out the regular season against Marion High School.
Lady Jackets sweep Marion Lady Wildcats at all three levels in two sets each
The Lady Jackets closed out the regular season in style with a clean sweep of the Marion Wildcat program. The Jackets won at all three levels, freshmen, JV and Varsity. On top of that feat, they all won in just two sets.
Going into the event Marion was an unknown entity. It was thought, however, that since Marion is significantly bigger than Chester with 1,134 students, and is an IHSA Class 3A Division school, that possibly the Lady Jackets might have trouble keeping up with the Lady Wildcats. The Jackets looked past those facts and handled the Wildcats for the win.
It was “Senior Night” at CHS and prior to the Varsity game, CHS recognized seven senior players including Alexis Eggemeyer, Ellen Blechle, Grace Welborn, Jasemine “Jazzi” Merideth, Jordan Buskohl, Liberty McCormick, and Mabry Wingerter.
Freshmen
The freshmen won in two sets, 21-5 and 21-9.
CHS led 3-0 to open play and never looked back in Set 1. The freshmen led, 7-2, 13-3, 16-4, and won 21-5 behind the serving of Aleah Eggemeyer, Hailey Yankey, Morgan Throop, Ava Bert, Peyton Parker, and Brooke Howie.
In Set 2, Hailey Yankey led the Jackets to a quick 3-0 start. Ava Bert took CHS to an 8-3 lead followed by Peyton Parker and Rylee Shemonic who served the team to a 12-7 lead. Hailey Yankey had back-to-back aces to extend the Chester lead to 14-7 after which Brooke Howie took charge and brought the freshmen to a 19-9 lead.
Ava Bert finished off the Lady Wildcats for the 21-9 victory. The Jackets were coached by Alyssa Keith and Reese Chandler.
Junior Varsity
The Junior Varsity also won in two sets, 25-11 and 25-12. The JV is also coached by Alyssa Keith and Reese Chandler with guidance from Head Coach, Collen Runge.
Joella Eggemeyer took charge from the start serving the JV to an amazing 16-0 run to establish a dominating lead. Marion answered with a 5-1 run to narrow Chester’s lead to 17-5. Down the stretch the CHS led 23-10, when Joella Eggemeyer came to serve the final two points, one with an ace to get the Jackets to game-point, 24-10, and then to finish the job with a Set 1 win of 25-11.
Set 2 was very much the same with a 25-12 victory. Avery Hasemeyer served the Jackets to a 12-3 start, with Lexi Mott, Camryn Wolff and Aubrey Colvis getting the Jackets to a comfortable, 19-8 lead.
To close out Set 2, Joella Eggemeyer, and Avery Hasemeyer served the team to game point, 24-12, with Lexi Mott coming for the 25-12 kill.
Varsity Lady Jackets close out 2023 regular season with 25-21 and 25-19 battle for the win
The Varsity game was a classic, under Head Coach Colleen Runge. Both teams fought like warriors and battled to the end of each set, but the Lady Jackets wanted it more and had more skill and determination to win the match, in two sets, 25-21 and 25-19.
Set 1 was a real race to the finish with eight ties and seven lead changes. Chester led most of the match, never but more than two points until the end when they won by four points, 25-21. Marion led twice but never by more than two points.
Set 2 was equally tight and exciting with three ties, but the Lady Jackets never allowed the Lady Wildcats to take a lead. Alexis Eggemeyer and Ellen McCormick served CHS to an early, 6-3 lead. Marion then tied the game 6-6, 7-7, and 8-8, before the Jackets established and maintained a lasting lead the rest of the match.
Mabry Wingerter, Elaina Lutman, Jordan Buskohl and Jazzi Merideth served the Jackets the remainder of the match to a final victory of 25-19.
In the win, Chester had 26 kills led by Maggie Caby with 10. Others contributing included Joran Buskohl (6), Jazzi Merideth (3), Grace Welborn (3), and Mabry Wingerter, and Alexis Eggemeyer with two each.
Buskohl, Wingerter, Ellen McCormick, and Elaina Lutman all had aces. Maggie Caby had a solo block with Alexis Eggemeyer adding a block assist. Ellen McCormick led in digs with 17 followed by Mabry Wingerter (9), Alexis Eggemeyer (, Elaina Lutman (5), Jordan Buskohl (3), Liberty McCormick (3), Grace Welborn (2), Maggie Caby (2), and Jazzi Merideth (1).
Mabry Wingerter led I assists with 15 followed by Elaina Lutman (7), and Ellen McCormick (3). With the win, Chester improved to a final regular season record of 24-9.
Assistant Coach Alyssa Keith said, “This was a good senior night game. The girls had fun on their home court for the last time and brought home their 24th win of the season.”
Chester senior Alexis Eggemeyer (5) soars for a huge hit in the Senior Night win over Marion High School. For the night Eggemeyer recorded 2 kills, a block assist, and numerous excellent serves. Jim Bers Photo
Chester senior Alexis Eggemeyer (5) soars for a huge hit in the Senior Night win over Marion High School. For the night Eggemeyer recorded 2 kills, a block assist, and numerous excellent serves. Jim Bers Photo
The Lady Jackets come together late on the game prior to the win against Marion. It was senior night and the last game on Colbert Gym Rocky Bridges Court for seven CHS seniors. Emotions were high as the Jackets were about to defeat Class 3A Marion in two sets, 25-21 and 25-19. Jim Beers Photo