The Chester High School Lady Jackets Volleyball Team finished runners-up in the 2021 Trico Invitational Tournament on Sept. 21 and 23, which also featured Trico, Sparta and Steeleville.
The Lady Jackets had a loss to Trico and wins over the Sparta Lady Bulldogs and the Steeleville Lady Warriors. Two of Chester's players were selected to the nine-lady All-Tournament Team: sophomore Mabry Wingerter and junior Paige Vasquez.
Other All-Tournament Team members included Tournament MVP, Madi Rathert of Trico; Josie Wettig of Trico; Reagan Fager of Trico; Kadence Bockhorn of Steeleville; Jenna Hood of Steeleville; Anna McDonald of Sparta; and Sara Stefan of Sparta.
Jackets fall to Trico in three sets
The Lady Jackets lost a hard-fought match against Trico on the first night. Mabry Wingerter and Paige Vasquez led in aces with three apiece. Ellen McCormick led the defense with nine digs.
"This was Ellen's first varsity match and she played outstanding defense," said Assistant Coach Alyssa Keith.
Paige Vasquez led the team with six kills and 10 assists. Kailyn Absher had the only two solo blocks of the night.
Chester beats Sparta in two sets
Paige Vasquez led the team in aces and kills. She had six aces and nine kills for the match.
Keith said, "Mabry Wingerter played outstanding defense and recorded nine digs. She also had 11 assists in the victory." Jordan Buskohl had a pair of solo blocks to help her team win over the Lady Bulldogs.
Coach Colleen Runge said, "We did play excellent defense against Sparta and our setters and hitters connected well."
CHS takes two over Steeleville
In their final match of the tournament Chester faced Steeleville in Game 2. The Lady Jackets overcame the Lady Warriors in two competitive sets, 25-17 and 25-16.
"The Lady Jackets sealed the deal for some hardware by winning this match," Coach Keith said. "This win led us to a 2-1 record in the tournament which was good enough to bring home the second place trophy!"
Ashlyn Colvis sparked a ton of high energy in this game with her serves. She went on a five-serve streak and led the team in aces with five.
With Alyssa Seymour serving and Chester leading 8-1, Steeleville called time out. Following the timeout Seymour continued to serve Lady Jackets to a 13-1 lead. At 19-6 the Lady Warriors called another time out after which Mabry Wingerter came in to serve CHS to a 24-14 lead.
Emma Eggemeyer and Paige Vasquez led the defense with three digs apiece. Vasquez also added six kills to lead the defense. Mabry Wingerter had the most assists with nine and Kailyn Absher paced the team with the Jacket's only solo blocks. With the tournament record of 2 wins and 1 loss the Lady Jackets finished with an overall season record of 9-4.
Lose to Wesclin on the road, in 3 sets
The Lady Jackets played a rare Saturday game Sept. 25 at Wesclin. They started off well, winning the first set, 27-25. Each set thereafter was a knock-down, drag-out affair, ending when the Lady Warriors edged the Lady Jackets by three points in Set 2 and two points in Set 3.
"Paige Vasquez played outstanding defense and recorded 20 digs in the three-set match," Keith said. She also led the team with 8 kills. Mabry Wingerter led the team with 14 assists. Alyssa Seymour paced the team in aces with two."
The Jackets' overall record is now 9-5 and their Cahokia Conference record is 3-1.
