CHS volleyball ends season with loss to Trico

Posted October 26, 2015 11:00 pm

By Jim Beers Reporter

A record-setting season for Chester ended at the Class 2A Red Bud Regional on Monday night.

Kelly Hamilton had seven kills, Jade Kranawetter had four block points and Bailey Witthoft had six assists, leading No. 6 seed Trico past No. 10 seed Chester, 25-14 and 25-15.

The Pioneers moved on to face No. 4 seed Pinckneyville in the regional semifinals.

With the loss, the Yellow Jackets ended their season with a record of 17-14, their best campaign since former coach Jeff Kordys led the team to 16 victories in 1991.

First-year CHS coach Chad Koenegstein guided the team to its first winning season since 1998 and said he his very proud of his team and the family atmosphere they created this year.

He noted he is excited to be returning his entire team in 2016 as Chester did not have any seniors this season.

"We are growing confident, intelligent, and capable players within this program," he said. "The current program is now the best in the history of Chester volleyball.

"The best part about his is that is the fact that we have no seniors. Expect great things from Chester volleyball."

Chester had a busy week to close out the regular season. The Lady Yellow Jackets hosted Sparta and Christopher on October 19 and 20 and traveled to Sesser-Valier and Dupo Oct. 21 and 22.

The results were mixed as Chester lost to Sparta (25-23 and 25-22) and Christopher (25-17, 25-23) and then closed out the regular season on a roll with wins over Sesser-Valier (25-10, 23-25 and 25-12) and Dupo (25-8, 25-18).

The win at Dupo was more than just a season-ending victory, it broke a record at CHS for most victories in a season.

Down the stretch, Hannah Schweizer and Alexis McMath led the Lady Yellow Jackets in kills with 22 and 19, respectively.

Carlee Weir led the team in assists with 45 and Alyssa Keith followed with 32 to pace CHS.

Haley Middendorf had the most digs with 25, while Hannah Schweizer followed with 22 digs. Schweizer also led in blocks with a total of 12, while Katie Hoffman added eight and Lauren Welge contributed five for CHS.

In the aces category, Hannah Schweizer led again with eight aces for the four-game series to close the season. Welge and Weir each also added seven aces apiece to pace Chester.

"The leadership of Hannah Schweizer has been fantastic going into the last week of the regular season," Koenegstein said. "She is a utility player who can put the ball away from anywhere on the floor.

"She is also one of the best blockers in Southern Illinois."

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