High School Girls Volleyball
Lady Railers earn third place in the Hampton Inn Varsity Volleyball
Tournament
Normal West wins the tournament for the second year in a
row
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[September 11, 2023]
The
Lady Railers finished in third place on Saturday in the 2023 Hampton
Inn Varsity Volleyball Tournament. The highly-competitive tournament
featured 12 teams from across the state of Illinois. After seeing
the impressive level of talent on display at Lincoln Community High
School, spectators were saying this was a preview of some of the
teams that will be making a run to State in November.
Normal West was a repeat champion of the tournament. The Wildcats
defeated Quincy Notre Dame 25-21 and 25-17 for the championship on
Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Railers finished the tournament with a 4-1 record. After
getting the first three wins in the tournament, Lincoln entered the
Gold Bracket, where they finished in third place.
Friday night
Lincoln vs. Deer Creek-Mackinaw
To recap the first game on Friday night, Lincoln defeated
Deer Creek-Mackinaw 25-15 and 25-18. Kloe Froebe led the Lady
Railers with 12 kills.
In set one, Lincoln led consistently by a five-point margin early
on. The ladies pulled away near the end of the set, going on a 5-0
run to increase the lead to 24-14. Alyssa Company was an important
part of that run with a kill, a tip and then coming up with a huge
block with Lily Holmes. Kloe Froebe added two monster kills to
really seal the deal and then it was Company and Holmes again on the
block to slam the door on Deer Creek-Mackinaw. Lincoln won set one
25-15.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/11/images/ads/current/lincolnprinters_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
In set two with Dee-Mack, the Lady Railers jumped out to a 7-2 lead
thanks to kills and tips each by Sasse and Company and an ace served
by Heitzig. Sasse and Company combined for the block that completed
the 6-0 run on the Chiefs. After a tip and then a kill by Froebe,
the Lady Railers were up 10-4. A kill by Lily Holmes put Lincoln up
11-5. After back-to-back kills by Sasse and Froebe, Lincoln was
leading 17-12. Holmes, Froebe and Sasse contributed kills down the
stretch to increase the lead to 23-17. Sasse’s last kill of the
match made the score 24-18 and game point was pretty thrilling.
It’s hard to pick a highlight from the last play that earned the
Lady Railers game point because each of the three players that
touched the ball were sensational. After a pretty long volley
between the Lady Railers and the Chiefs, Froebe hit the ball into
the block and Becca Heitzig made a sensational save to dig the ball
high enough for Froebe to make a perfect back set towards the
setter, Addy Qualters. Qualters turned it into a game-ending kill.
So in a turn of events, credit Froebe with the assist and Qualters
with the kill. Nice way to end the second set and pick up a win.
25-18 was the final score of set two.
Lincoln vs. Mahomet-Seymour
In the next highly-anticipated matchup of the evening, the Lady
Railers and their fans packed the back gym at LCHS for the game
versus the Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs.
The games between these two ranked teams were spectacular. According
to MaxPreps, Lincoln came into the match ranked no. 2 and
Mahomet-Seymour was ranked no. 3 in the state. The action was
intense and the scores were as close as possible in the first two
sets. Lincoln won the first set 27-25 while Mahomet-Seymour took the
second set 26-24. Lincoln would win the third set 15-11. Peyton
Sasse led Lincoln with 12 kills.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/11/images/ads/current/dare_lda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
In set one, Lincoln was quick to earn a 5-0 lead over the Bulldogs
with Rebecca Burge sneaking a couple tips over and Sasse earning a
kill. The lead was 10-4 after Company was coming up clutch early on.
She helped her team earn points by way of a kill, a tip and a block.
There is nothing she can’t do in that front row. Sasse and Qualters
also combined on a monster block to add another point in Lincoln’s
favor. After a long volley, Sasse hit the sideline perfectly for a
kill and this kept Lincoln in front 11-8. With the Bulldogs charging
closer, Company’s two kills kept them on a short leash, 13-10 the
score. In fact, the Bulldogs fought back to tie the set 13-13. An
enormous kill from Froebe gave Lincoln a 14-13 lead. Sasse’s kill
put Lincoln up 15-14 and fans were getting their money’s worth.
Taryn Stoltzenburg served an ace to keep Lincoln in the lead, 16-14
the score. Scores of 18-17 and 20-19 would keep fans on the edge of
their seats. After taking a 24-21 lead on a kill by Sasse, the
Bulldogs would bring the Lady Railers to their knees and tie things
up 24-24. Coach Lowery called a timeout and following the timeout,
the Bulldogs took over the lead. Coach Lowery called another
timeout. The next volley ended in Lincoln’s favor after Sasse
carefully tipped the ball over the net, finding a hole. Here we go
again, 25-25 the score. Lincoln got the next point as the middle
hitter for the Bulldogs, who looked to be about 6’2 or better, hit
the ball into the net as Company was leaping in front of her. Game
point would go to Lincoln on a play that upset the Bulldogs.
Qualters went up against the net versus the Bulldogs player who hit
the ball out of bounds. The Bulldogs thought Qualters got a hand on
it, but the referee who was on the stand closest to the play called
the ball out on the Bulldogs and that caused a bit of a controversy.
Once the referee signaled game point to Lincoln, the Lady Railers
left the court while the Bulldogs continued to plead their case. The
call remained and Lincoln took set one 27-25.
In set two it was Mahomet-Seymour taking a 6-0 lead over Lincoln.
The Lady Railers had a tough battle on their hands and even after
some impressive kills from Sasse, they still trailed 8-3 to the
Bulldogs. But leave it to these girls and their winning mentality.
Lincoln came back from that five-point deficit to take a 10-8 lead.
The Lady Railers just kept playing their hearts out and before long
it was a 16-9 lead. And then after a huge kill at just the right
moment by Makia Hassebrock the Lincoln lead was 20-16. But the
Bulldogs were not down and out and after a kill that knocked Froebe
off her feet, the Bulldogs were on a mission. They would fight back
to tie the set 22-22. Sasse’s kill earned Lincoln a 23-22 lead and
after the Bulldogs couldn’t handle Company’s hit, Lincoln was ready
for game point with the score 24-22. The Bulldogs had other plans.
They used a kill to score one point and then they took advantage of
three Lincoln errors to score the rest of the points needed to steal
a 26-24 win over the Lady Railers in set two.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/11/images/ads/current/culligan_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
The winner of set three needed to be the first to reach a score of
15 and with both teams ready for a battle, the tension in the back
gym was building. First it was Mahomet-Seymour with a 5-3 lead and
Lincoln had to fight hard to tie the game 5-5. Once Company gave the
Lady Railers the lead on a kill, the team pulled things together and
built up a 9-5 lead. The all too familiar lead change between these
two teams prompted Grandpa Keith (Johnson) to say, “This has been a
game of momentum,” and he was right. Luckily as he said this,
Lincoln would keep the momentum and with Froebe determined to not
let this one slip by, the Lady Railers stayed on top. First, Froebe
had a huge kill that just landed inbounds for a point. It was the
kind of hit that makes everyone around say, “Wow!” Her hit made the
score 11-7. Then Froebe had an unbelievable kill to make the score
12-9. Finally, it was Sasse with the big kill to make a statement
and give Lincoln a 13-9 lead. Next it was Rebecca Burge on the block
and Lincoln was looking good with a 14-9 lead. The Bulldogs scored
twice more before Froebe passed the ball perfectly to Qualters and
this time she placed a perfect back set to Holmes on the right side
and she killed the ball right past the block. After an hour and ten
minutes of outstanding and intense volleyball action, Lincoln takes
set three 15-11. That concluded Friday night Lady Railer volleyball
action.
Peyton Sasse led the team with 12 kills against Mahomet-Seymour.
Alyssa Company added 10 kills and Kloe Froebe had 9 kills and 9
digs. Becca Heitzig had 22 digs and Addy Qualters had a season-high
32 assists and contributed 10 digs.
Saturday
Lincoln vs. Peoria Notre Dame
Lincoln defeated Peoria Notre Dame in two quick sets on Saturday
morning at 9:00 a.m. The Lady Railers won 25-18 and 25-17. This
advanced Lincoln to the Gold Bracket level of competition at 11:30
a.m.
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Peyton Sasse led Lincoln with 9 kills and Alyssa
Company added 8 kills against Peoria Notre Dame.
Lincoln vs. Quincy Notre Dame
Lincoln would suffer their only loss in the tournament to an
undefeated Quincy Notre Dame team. The scores were 20-25, 25-23 and
11-15. The Lady Railers really put up a great fight against this
team and came back from a 20-23 deficit to win set two 25-23. But
with the score tied 11-11 in set three, Quincy Notre Dame took the
lead for good and won by a final score of 15-11.
Kloe Froebe had a season-high 15 kills versus Quincy Notre Dame and
Peyton Sasse added 14 kills. Addy Qualters had 30 assists.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/11/images/ads/current/dare_lda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
Lincoln vs. O’Fallon
The third place game featured Lincoln versus O’Fallon and the Lady
Railers came out on top in this one, winning 25-22 and 25-20.
Set one was close nearly the entire game. After a 4-4 tie the Lady
Railers fell behind 6-8. Froebe served the Lady Railers back to a
lead, finishing the run with an ace good for a 10-8 Lincoln lead.
After a couple more ties, the Lady Railers took a 15-13 lead. A kill
by Company kept Lincoln on top 17-15. O’Fallon tied Lincoln once
again, this time 18-18. Sasse’s kill gave the Lady Railers a slim
advantage and then it was Burge with the kill to pad the lead 20-18.
After an ace by Kendal Long, Lincoln held a 22-19 lead. Sasse added
two more kills in the final minutes and her last kill down the line
allowed Lincoln to win set one 25-22.
With Froebe at the service line to start set two, she would make
herself comfortable and rattle off eight straight points, beginning
with an ace. Burge and Sasse added kills in all the excitement as
the lead mounted to 8-0 pretty quickly. Sasse was swinging fast and
frequently in set two and she earned two more kills to make the
score 10-4. Company was also tallying kills and she guided Lincoln
out to a 15-6 lead. O’Fallon made a little run to catch up and 17-11
was the score soon flashing on the scoreboard. Lincoln managed to
keep the Panthers far enough away and after Sasse’s kill down the
line, the Lady Railers were enjoying a 22-14 lead. With the score
24-15, the Panthers went on another run. This time the lead dwindled
a bit too close for comfort as O’Fallon enjoyed a 5-0 run. With the
score 24-20, O’Fallon committed a hitting error and Lincoln was able
to claim the second set with a 25-20 win.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/11/images/ads/current/chicagost_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
Peyton Sasse led the team with 14 kills versus
O’Fallon.
Lincoln Head Coach Kaylee Lowery was happy with the team’s success
in the tournament and is already looking ahead to what the team
needs to work on.
“The high level of play and the competitive teams made it a great
weekend,” said Lowery. “We went 4-1. One of the best games of the
tournament was our game against Mahomet Seymour. They were ranked #3
and we were ranked #2 in 3A on MaxPreps going into the weekend. It
ended up being a three-set thriller. It made me excited as a coach
to see us play at the highest level, with the most enthusiasm, and
giving the most effort than I’ve seen all season. Against
Mahomet-Seymour, Peyton Sasse led with 12 kills and 4 digs, followed
by Alyssa Company with 10 kills. Becca Heitzig also had 22 digs. It
was a great way to end Friday night. We ended up losing to Quincy
Notre Dame, who was a great team on Saturday. Kloe Froebe had an
impressive game with 15 kills and 2 digs and Taryn Stoltzenburg did
a great job commanding the back row while getting 15 digs. Overall,
it was a great weekend and we got to play tough competition that we
wouldn’t get to in regular season games. I saw some great things
that I’m really excited about as well as what we need to work on.
We’ll get back to work this week. We have Chatham on Tuesday,
Springfield on Thursday, and the Mount Pulaski Fall Fest Tournament
Saturday.”
Lincoln’s record is now 13-2 on the season.
A few more notes:
Congratulations to Peyton Sasse for being named to the
all-tournament team. Sasse had a spectacular tournament with 58
kills, 19 digs and 4 blocks.
It should also be noted that Kloe Froebe had a sensational
tournament with 45 kills, 28 digs, 3 blocks and 1 assist, which was
amazing.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Sep/11/images/ads/current/merealty_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
Alyssa Company also had an impressive tournament
with 35 kills, 13 blocks, 4 digs and 3 assists.
Add Addy Qualters to the list of outstanding players in the
tournament too. Qualters finished with 134 assists, 27 digs, 4
blocks and 3 kills.
The total team effort by the Lady Railers in the tournament was
top-notch and the excitement they bring to the court is incredible.
Speed, athleticism and that winning mentality will continue to take
them a long way.
This week’s schedule:
Tuesday at Chatham-Glenwood
Freshman @ 5:00 p.m.
JV at 6:00 p.m.
Varsity at 7:00 p.m
Thursday home versus Springfield
Freshman @ 5:00 p.m.
JV at 6:00 p.m.
Varsity at 7:00 p.m
Saturday at the Mount Pulaski Fall Festival Tournament time TBD
Stats versus Deer Creek-Mackinaw
Kloe Froebe 12 kills 2 digs 1 assist
Peyton Sasse 9 kills 4 digs 1 block
Alyssa Company 9 kills 2 blocks
Rebecca Burge 2 kills
Taryn Stoltzenburg 12 digs
Addy Qualters 27 assists 4 digs 1 kill
Becca Heitzig 15 digs 4 assists
Lily Holmes 2 kills 2 digs
Stats versus Mahomet-Seymour
Peyton Sasse 12 kills 4 digs 1 block
Alyssa Company 10 kills 4 digs 3 blocks
Kloe Froebe 9 kills 9 digs 1 block
Becca Heitzig 22 digs 1 assist 1 kill
Rebecca Burge 2 kills 2 digs 1 block
Taryn Stoltzenburg 13 digs
Addy Qualters 32 assists 10 digs 2 kills
Lily Holmes 1 kill 1 dig 1 block
Makia Hassebrock 1 kill
Stats versus Peoria Notre Dame
Peyton Sasse 9 kills 1 block
Alyssa Company 8 kills 4 blocks 2 assists
Kloe Froebe 4 kills 8 digs 1 block
Rebecca Burge 4 kills 1 block
Lily Holmes 2 kills 10 digs
Taryn Stoltzenburg 8 digs
Addy Qualters 24 assists 3 digs 2 blocks
Stats versus Quincy Notre Dame
Kloe Froebe 15 kills 2 digs 1 block
Peyton Sasse 14 kills 5 digs 1 block
Addy Qualters 30 assists 2 blocks 1 dig
Alyssa Company 3 kills 3 blocks 1 assist
Rebecca Burge 3 blocks
Lily Holmes 1 kill 3 digs
Taryn Stoltzenburg 15 digs 1 assist
Stats versus O’Fallon
Peyton Sasse 14 kills 6 digs
Alyssa Company 5 kills 1 block
Kloe Froebe 5 kills 7 digs
Addy Qualters 21 assists 9 digs
Taryn Stoltzenburg 7 digs 2 assists
Rebecca Burge 2 kills 1 block
Kendal Long 1 dig
2023 Hampton Inn Varsity Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament
Team
Emma Hoing ~ Quincy Notre Dame
Ellie Barker ~ Mahomet-Seymour
Sydnie Hernandez ~ Normal West
Ellie Rink ~ Normal West
Avery Allen ~ Mahomet-Seymour
Alexis Naumann ~ Chatham Glenwood
Annie Eaton ~ Quincy Notre Dame
Mia Lamberti ~ Bartonville - Limestone
Peyton Sasse ~ Lincoln
Avery Feltes ~ Normal West
Cecelia Venne ~ O’Fallon
Reanne Cupples ~ Normal West
Teams competing in the Hampton Inn Tournament:
Normal West
Quincy Notre Dame
Lincoln
O’Fallon
Deer Creek-Mackinaw
Peoria Notre Dame
Mahomet-Seymour
Springfield
Danville
Chatham-Glenwood
Bartonville-Limestone
Decatur St. Teresa
[Teena Lowery] |