Bobcats Volleyball Takes a Win Against the Chargers
By Dennis Bowling
Beecher Coach Kristin Payne was in a bit of a jam against Illinois Lutheran, when Payne turned to seniors Lily Avelar and Lola Eckhardt, who each made clutch serving plays that helped them turn the feisty Chargers away on September 23.
Avelar, an outside hitter, served five straight service points to help win the first game of the match. Eckhardt, a middle hitter, served 14 straight service points to help win the second game and the match. Beecher beat Illinois Lutheran, 25-16, 25-8, in a River Valley Conference contest in Crete.
With the win, the Bobcats are 8-4 overall and are in first place in the RVC, with a perfect 7-0 mark. The Chargers fall to 5-12, 2-5.
“Lily was just all over the court,” said a happy Payne. “Her serving was great, and she was just digging everything. Lola, on the other hand, was consistent with her play and is a great zone server.”
In the second game of the match, Beecher was clinging to a 5-4 lead. The Bobcats were able to slowly pull away from the Chargers. An Avelar smash made the score 6-4. Then, Avelar served three straight service points for a 9-4 advantage.
Eckhardt took over and added a cross court kill, which made the score 10-4. She served an impressive 14 straight service points for a very comfortable 24-5 lead. Along the way, Abby Schrimsher had three kills, Elena Kvasnicka added two kills, while Emma Tiltges had one kill for the Bobcats.
“I did very well,” said an excited Eckhardt. “My serving performance boosted my confidence, as my serving had been inconsistent. I was able to pick apart their serve receive.”
“Lily always tries so hard,” she continued. “She always has great serves.”
In the first game of the match, Beecher had a 16-10 lead. Avelar blasted a kill to make it 17-10. Avelar served five straight service points for a commanding 22-10 advantage, which led to the lopsided win.
“We just had to close them out,” said Avelar, who finished with nine service points and five kills. “They are a good team. Lola is a consistent server. We can always count on her. Kayla (Eickmann) is a very consistent setter and is able to get the ball to our hitters.”
Bobcats seniors Eickmann and Bri Schrimsher, both setters, each had 10 good sets.
“Kayla and Bri each work well with any pass.,” said Payne. “They were able to get the ball to our hitters.”
“The favorite part of my setting is just watching my teammates kill the ball,” said Eickmann. “We communicate well on the court. Lily is a very good server, and Abby (Sippel) is a great passer.”
Senior Abby Sippel, a softball and volleyball standout, who also is a libero, had 10 good passes.
Charger senior Zoe Biesterfeld, an outside hitter, finished with six kills.
“Zoe is our offensive player,” said Illinois Lutheran Coach Ruth Junker. “She is a very good passer. Beecher has some great hitters and servers. They are strong all the way around.”
Classifieds
Beecher Community Library News
Spread the loveCall the library at 708-946-9090 for programs that require registration. Happy Holidays! The library will be closed Saturday, December 29, and Monday, January 1. The library’s Penfield Street parking lot entrance is closed until spring, but the Maxwell Street entrance is still open. Turn north on Maxwell from Indiana Avenue to get to…
Beecher Police Blotter: December 14 – 16
Spread the loveDisclaimer: Charges against each defendant are merely accusations, with all defendants presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. December 14, Venessa Gradowski, 38, of the 1700 block of Prentiss Drive, Downers Grove, was arrested after officers were called to 1121 Dixie Highway for a retail theft call. She was charged…
Beecher 200-U Bringing the Chickens to Roost
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The passing of the Beecher 200-U tax levy had a barnyard feel to it with chickens coming to roost. District Superintendent Jack Gaham threw out a lot of facts, figures, and percentages during a Truth In Taxation hearing at the December 11 board meeting. Some residents were confused about the…
Barber Bids Farewell as Beecher Ups the Levy
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva As he attended his 852nd Beecher village board meeting, retiring village manager Robert Barber got emotional. So, he tried a different tactic when he spoke to the board. “I’ll read statistics, because statistics don’t make people cry,” he said. Well, that didn’t work out too well. A few times during…
Santa Letters from Ms. Baxter’s First Graders
Spread the loveAs promised, here are more of those delightful letters from the children at Beecher Elementary School. Ms. Baxter’s first graders had some great ideas to help out the jolly big man in the bright red suit. After reading the letters, if Santa is really hungry during his journey on Christmas Eve, he won’t…
Beecher Community Library News
Spread the loveCall the library at 708-946-9090 for programs that require registration. Happy Holidays! The library will be closed on Saturday, December 23, Monday, December 25, Saturday, December 29, and Monday, January 1. The library’s Penfield Street parking lot entrance will be closed until spring, but the Maxwell Street entrance is open. Turn north on…
Santa Letters from Mrs. Markland’s First Graders
Spread the loveMrs. Markland’s children also took the time to inform Santa of their wishes for this Christmas season and also informed the jolly man just what their behavior was like during the past year. To everyone’s relief – they were all GOOD! It certainly looks like Santa’s sleigh is going to be very heavy…
Beecher Police Blotter: November 28 – December 6
Spread the loveDisclaimer: Charges against each defendant are merely accusations, with all defendants presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. November 28, Logan Young, 24, of the 1500 block of County Road 7080, West Plains, Missouri, was stopped at Dixie Highway and Chestnut Lane for having an expired registration and found to…
Will County Animal Control Offering Free Microchipping in December
Spread the loveThe Will County Animal Control Department is offering free microchipping services to dogs and cats owned by county residents throughout December as part of their “Home for the Holidays” Program. “We’re hoping to incentivize pet owners to microchip their pets,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “Having pets microchipped, with updated tags, helps…
Santa Letters from Mrs. Stolarek’s BES First Graders
Spread the loveRecently, the first graders at Beecher Elementary took on a very special project and a most important one, too – the annual writing of letters to that jolly man at the North Pole. After reading some of the correspondence, we think you will agree it was a most important task. This week, The…
VEDETTE SPORTS REPORT
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Old gym? New gym? It doesn’t seem to matter. The results are still the same. Beecher’s boys basketball team played in its old gym for a throwback game December 8 and came away with a lopsided 81-36 River Valley Conference win over Donovan. The Bobcats wore jerseys from 2012-13, and…
Beecher Community Library News
Spread the loveCall the library at 708-946-9090 for programs that require registration. The library’s Penfield Street parking lot entrance will be closed until spring, but the Maxwell Street entrance still is open. Turn north on Maxwell from Indiana Avenue to get to the library. The library will be closed on Saturday, December 23, for the…
Beecher Thinking About That Levy
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Village of Beecher Board Members agreed to take a little more time before deciding what they will do about the 2024 tax levy. Finance and Administration Committee Chairman Todd Kraus said at the November 27 meeting they could make a decision that night or table it, but it needs…
Extensive Rural Fire Kills 4 Horses
Spread the loveAt approximately 3:37 p.m. on Sunday, November 26, the Beecher Fire Protection District, along with automatic aid, responded to a structural fire at 1624 E. Eagle Lake Road. Due to reports of animals still inside the building, the alarm was escalated to the full still alarm level prior to arrival. The first suppression…
New State-of-the-Art Election Equipment Demonstration Planned
Spread the loveWill County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry is inviting the public to a demonstration of new state-of-the-art election equipment that will be used to cast and count ballots in next year’s Primary and Presidential Elections. County Clerk Staley Ferry and her team will conduct demonstrations of the new ballot counters, ADA-compliant ballot-marking devices, and…