Lady Yellow Jacket seniors prepare for volleyball season

Posted July 20, 2016 11:00 pm

By Jim Beers Contributing Writer

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a two-part series highlighting the Chester High School volleyball seniors

With the Chester High School Lady Yellow Jacket Volleyball season rapidly approaching, four CHS seniors have been hard at work this summer preparing to lead the team into battle this fall.

"We are coming off a great 2015 season when we achieved the most wins (17) for a Yellow Jacket volleyball team in history," said Chester coach Chad Koenegstein. "Most of that entire team plans to return this fall so we have the 'potential' to be good again this year."

Hannah Schweizer and Alexis McMath have been setting a great example so far this summer in putting in the countless hours it takes to lead the Lady Yellow Jackets to success in the 2016 season.

Koenegstein furnished a statistical comparison to how the two players have been performing so far this summer in off-season action.

In 2015, Schweizer had 152 kills, 100 digs, 26 assists, 66 blocks and 38 aces. So far in summer play, she has recorded 240 kills, 125 digs, 29 assists, 46 blocks and 47 aces.

"These stats are impressive as Hannah has surpassed last year's stats in just the first several weeks of summer action," said Koenegstein.

Koenegstein noted that Schweizer has already attended an Elite Camp, USAV Gateway Elite, where she performed well.

She also attended the recent SIU-Carbondale volleyball camp and she competed in the Perryville competition.

At Chester High School, Schweizer maintains a 3.925 grade point academic average and is a member of the CHS Summit Chapter of the National Honor Society.

When she isn't playing volleyball or studying, Schweizer is busy singing and dancing with the CHS Swing Choir or working for the CHS Relay for Life effort.

Away from school, she enjoys her activities in the "Beauty From Ashes" organization, which is a religious group.

Schweizer was named to the Black Diamond Conference All-Black Diamond Conference First Team last season in Volleyball as a sophomore.

She earned All-South honors as a junior last year and she and Alyssa Keith shared the team's Most Valuable Player Award in 2015.

Last Year, Schweizer recorded the second-most kills for the Lady Yellow Jackets with 152 and was fourth in digs with 100.

She also led the BDC in assists with 66 and powerled the Lady Yellow Jackets with 38 aces.

McMath has also been impressive this summer with her work ethic. During her 2015 junior season, McMath had 158 kills, 73 digs, 22 assists, 11 blocks and 23 aces.

So far this summer, McMath has already recorded 242 kills, 126 digs, 18 assists, 32 blocks and 47 aces.

At CHS, McMath maintains a 3.750 grade point average. She is a member of the National Honor Society and keeps busy playing her trumpet in the Yellow Jacket Band and singing in the select CHS vocal group, the CHS "Sound Affect."

McMath also works part-time at Memorial Hospital in Chester in the Medical Records department as a student worker.

She was also the Lady Yellow Jackets "Most Valuable Player" in basketball last season.

McMath is a Outside Opposite Hitter (OH/OPP) for Chester, but Koenegstein noted that she can - and has - played every position on the team at one point or another.

She was also the "Offensive Player of the Year" Chester last season.

"These two girls have worked very hard so far this summer and have every intention of helping to lead the Lady Jackets to a most-successful 2016 season," Koenegstein said.

This summer, the Lady Yellow Jackets have competed against some of the best competition in Southern Illinois.

They recently went 8-0 at the Carbondale Tournament with wins against Murphysboro, Carbondale, Carterville, Mt. Vernon, Herrin and Cobden.

At the recent Missouri /Quad Scrimmage, CHS battled against Arcadia Valley, Perryville and another Chester team comprised of Lady Yellow Jacket players.

Sparta recently hosted a scrimmage where Chester fared well against Sparta, Trico, New Athens and Steeleville.

Finally, at New Athens, Chester competed well against Carbondale, Waterloo, Red Bud, O'Fallon and Sparta.

Several Chester players will travel to Colorado July 22-27 to work out and compete at the Colorado Springs UCCS Elite Camp.

The Southern Illinois University Summer Camp was also a huge success for a talented group of CHS Volleyball athletes.

"I want us to make it to the 2016 IHSA state tournament," Schweizer said on her goals for the season.

Schweizer also said that she hopes to continue her volleyball career at the college level and plans to work hard to earn a scholarship.

She has already received offers to play at the JUCO level.

"I would like for us to get the most wins in the Black Diamond Conference and become the 2016 BDC champions," McMath said. "I also want to play college volleyball probably, at the JUCO level.

"John A. Logan College and Parkland College have already showed interest in me, but I will try my best to increase my value this year during our CHS season so as to become more marketable."

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