On Sunday, November 23, 2014, the first annual inaugural Central Illinois High School Volleyball All-Star Game took place. The game was organized by Lincoln Land Community College head coach Jim Dietz. Teams were formed based on players’ position, talent, and their schools and were placed on one of the teams, either red or blue. The goal was to keep teammates separated from each other. For example, Springfield High’s Courtney Pence (red) and Mady Mcarty (blue), Lutheran’s Alyssa Whitlow (red) and Haley Limper (blue), Pleasant Plains’ Erin Bergschneider (blue) and Shelbie Butcher (red), and our own Jacksonville High players Abby Tomhave (blue) and Cheyanne Jockisch (red) were on opposite sides of the net, among others. The rules of the game were new for the girls to adjust to. The game used NCAA rules, rather than IHSA or USA Volleyball regulations. Therefore, the exhibition was based on the best of five matches.
The red team took a fast lead with hard service by Sacred Heart Griffin’s Allison Brent, racking up two aces within the first five points of the game. The red team kept a strong lead through the beginning of the first match. Huge kills by Pence kept the momentum high, along with multiple blocks by the red’s front row, making it nearly impossible for the blue team to effectively catch up. A few aces were added by Athen’s Jessica Penrod, Lincoln’s Mackenzie Cooper, and JHS libero, Jockisch. The first set was quickly over with a score of 25-20 in the red team’s favor.
The momentum shifted quite a bit in the second game. Very strong serves by Mt. Pulaski’s Whitney Nichols gave the red’s serve receive issues, making the second match start without favoring one side or the other. Nichols also began racking up some hard kills against the red’s defense. Losing a little bit of heart and making unforced errors, the red team handed the momentum over to the blue team with a second set score of 21-25.
Talesha Scott from Carlinville took a bit of that momentum for herself and came out swinging in the third set. Kill after kill, the red team’s left back could not possibly anticipate where the ball was going, and due to the ball being hit so hard, they didn’t really have much time to make up for a false read of the ball. Nichols continued to rack up kills as well, but Pence fought back in the front and back row, adding up kills as well as digs. A big change in lineup really threw the red team for a loop and forced them to make adjustments that they couldn’t make. Therefore, the opportunity to take back the momentum was nearly impossible, and the blue team held on to take another set 18-25.
Knowing that it was go-time, the red team changed the lineup once more and in a much more beneficial way for the third game. Less substitutions were used, even though the rules stated that there were an unlimited number of subs available, to allow everyone to get playing time. Pence came in to the third game strong, racking up more and more kills and digs. Defense became faster and scrappier, recovering a couple shanked balls and putting them back into play. The red team came out strong and held on long enough to take game four 25-18.
After a captains’ meeting was called, the red team had serve and their winning side of the net but had to switch at eight points. The blue team was in the lead at the eight-point mark at 5-8, and the teams switched sides. The red team started to fight back, but it was too late and the blue team took the win 10-15 with one last block.
After the final match was over, three MVPs were named. One from the red team, Courtney Pence, and two co-MVPs from the blue team, Mady Mcarty and Haley Limper. Coach Jim Dietz stated that he was very excited about how well the match went and that he is happy “ the game did not end in three matches with scores of 25-5.” With final scores of 25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 25-18, and 10-15, the blue team took the first ever Central Illinois High School Volleyball All-Star Game victory and both the blue and red teams set a high bar for the all-star teams that will follow them in the upcoming years.