Lady Aces Win Sectional; Set Sights On 5th Straight State Title

The Lady Aces continued their quest today for a 5th straight State Championship by winning the Clss 1A Monticello Sectional held at the U of I Blue Course in Savoy. The top 3 teams advance to State.

Senior Zeme Moore was medalist with

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Lady Aces Spike Lady Tigers On Pink Out Night

The Lady Aces Volleyball team hosted the Olney tigers for pink out night. It was a full house at the hilltop honoring family’s battling cancer.  

The Varsity Aces attacked well, and picked up some great balls on defense. This combination kept the Aces on top for the duration of both sets winning big, 25-14, 25-17. Maycee Randall and Tensley Dunlap led with 5 kills each. 

Stats for the Aces were Mattie Armstrong 1 ace, 9 assists, 3 digs, Jayla Johnson 2 kills, 4 digs, Maycee Randall, 5 kills, 4 blocks, Tenley Davis 11 digs, 1 ace, Lyla Keepes 4 kills, 5 digs, 3 blocks, Kyleigh Smith 2 kills, Tensley Dunlap 5 kills, Avery Coston 3 kills, Gabby Schneider 1 ace 9 assist, 1  digs. 

The JV team had a back and forth battle with the tigers pulling away at the end of the first set 24-20, but the girls got the side out. Leah Lewis served us home making an exciting comeback winning the set 26-24. The student section was electric, and helped boost the team to the win! The second set the Aces led by a good margin. Olney did creep back up at the end, but the Aces sealed it winning 25-23. 

Player stats Leah Lewis 2 aces, 5 digs, 4 kills, 1 assist, Avery Coston 2 aces, 5 kills, 2 digs, 

 1 block, Cate Pyatt, 4 kills, 2 digs, Mylee Farmer 7 digs, 1 assist,  Mercedes Dillard 3 digs,  Quincy Keepes 1 ace, 4 digs, 13 assists, Journey Loudermilk 2 kills, Ryleigh Gill 1 ace, 5 digs, Josie James 2 kill. 

The JV team lost in 2 sets 14-25 and 20-25, they did have some long volleys and showed improvement on the court. 

The Aces will be back at home on Monday the 6th versus Mt. Vernon and then on the road till the 20th for senior night. 

Stats From Olney 42, Mt. Carmel 26

Aces drop to 3-3 with the loss.

Newton Edges Lady Aces Tennis, 6-3

Mt. Carmel - 3, Newton - 6,

Singles:
No. 1 - Olivia Sornberger, Newton def. Ava Giese, Mt. Carmel, 10-5 , -, -;
No. 2 - Jailyn Hall, Newton def. Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel, 10-2 , -, -;
No. 3 - Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel def. Lauren Gier, Newton, 10-5 , -, -;
No. 4 - Beth Brocious, Newton def. Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel, 10-2 , -, -;
No. 5 - Jenna Hall, Newton def. Kate Andrews, Mt. Carmel, 10-4 , -, -;
No. 6 - Scarlett Collins, Newton def. Hadlie Scott, Mt. Carmel, 10-1 , -, -;

Doubles:
No. 1 - Ava Giese, Mt. Carmel - Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel def. Jailyn Hall, Newton - Olivia Sornberger, Newton, 11-9 , -, -;
No. 2 - Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel - Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel def. Emma Walker, Newton - Izzy Probst, Newton, 10-5 , -, -;
No. 3 - Jenna Hall, Newton - Scarlett Collins, Newton def. Addison Tennis, Mt. Carmel - Bayley Andrews, Mt. Carmel, 10-5 , -, -;

2025 Mt. Carmel Athletic Hall of Fame Class to be Enshrined Friday, October 10th

(MT. CARMEL) The Mt. Carmel High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee of the Mt. Carmel Sports Boosters is proud to announce its 2025 Induction Class is set to be inducted.

The ceremony will take place Friday, October 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Riverview Stadium, prior to the MCHS football game vs. Casey Westfield. Highlighting the class are three legendary coaches, an individual state champion, and a state runner-up team.

The three coaches being enshrined include four-time district and three-time regional championship volleyball coach Carlotta Enlow, legendary wrestling coach Pat Cheesman, and state runner-up baseball and longtime football coach Larry Lockart.

Also being enshrined is state champion wrestler Andrew Wise and the team being enshrined is the 2001 state finalist Golden Aces football team.

The 2025 Induction Class of the MCHS Athletic Hall of Fame will be recognized prior to the Aces home football game on October 10th vs. Casey Westfield beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. A reception, hosted by the Sports Boosters, will follow the game at Stymie’s Rest at West Berwick Golf Course.

Aces fans are also reminded that nominations for future Hall of Fame induction can be made anytime. Find the nomination form and view a list of all Hall of Fame members on the Athletic Hall of Fame website at www.wabash348.com/o/mchs/page/mchs-athletics-hall-of-fame

Aces Coach Michael Brewer Previews Showdown With Undefeated Olney

During his weekly appearance on the Morning Show, Michael Brewer talked about tonight’s matchup against undefeated Olney.

Tight Match In Lawrenceville Goes To Lady Aces

The Varsity Lady Aces traveled to Lawrenceville Tuesday night.  The Aces beat the Indians in 3 sets taking the first and third. The girls started the first two sets with too many errors, but were able to overcome and win. Our defense was solid with a season high 20 digs for Tenley Davis, and 18 for Jayla Johnson. The third set we had a much better start and stayed strong to take the win. Lyla Keepes was the kill leader with 8 and Mattie Armstrong with 11 assists. Maycee Randall dominated the net with 5 blocks. Set scores for the night were 25-23, 21-25, 25-18.

Stats for the Aces were Mattie Armstrong 11 assists, 5 digs, Jayla Johnson 1 ace, 5 kills, 18 digs, 2 assists, Maycee Randall, 5 kills, 1 dig, 5 block, Tenley Davis 20 digs, 3 assists, Lyla Keepes 8 kills, 10 digs, 3 blocks, Kyleigh Smith 6 kills, 1 block, Tensley Dunlap 3 kills, 4 digs, 1 block,  Avery Coston 2 kills, 1 dig, Gabby Schneider 1 ace 9 assist, 9 digs. 

The JV team lost the first set 22-25. They were able to minimize errors in the second set winning 25-19. They really got the steam rolling in the third set taking it 15-6.  Cate Pyatt lead with 13 kills, Leah Lewis had 11 digs and Quincy Keepes 28 assists. 

Player stats Leah Lewis 11 digs, 2 kills, Avery Coston 4 aces, 8 kills, Cate Pyatt, 13 kills, 2 digs, Mylee Farmer 10 digs, Mercedes Dillard 6 digs, 2 aces, Quincy Keepes 2 aces, 4 digs, 28 assists, Journey Loudermilk 1 dig, Ryleigh Gill 7 digs, Leila Sweeney 2 dig, Addison Mobley 2 kills, Josie James 3 kills. 

The Aces will face Olney at the Hilltop on Thursday starting with the Freshman game at 5:00. 

Comments by assistant coach Bonnie Keepes

Photo credit Nichole Loudermilk

Lady Aces Tennis Blanked By Flora

Mt. Carmel - 0, Flora - 9,

Singles:
No. 1 - Leah Jones, Flora def. Ava Giese, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-4 , -;
No. 2 - Mya Sloan, Flora def. Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel, 6-3 , 6-2 , -;
No. 3 - Elise Duke, Flora def. Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;
No. 4 - Mylea Jones, Flora def. Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel, 6-1 , 6-0 , -;
No. 5 - Kinley Souder, Flora def. Kate Andrews, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-1 , -;
No. 6 - Meredith Edwards, Flora def. Hadlie Scott, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;

Doubles:
No. 1 - Makenna Hackney, Flora - Elise Duke, Flora def. Ava Giese, Mt. Carmel - Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel, 6-3 , 0-6 , 10-7 ;
No. 2 - Kinley Souder, Flora - Nicole Menghi, Flora def. Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel - Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel, 6-1 , 6-3 , -;
No. 3 - Kristen Pipher, Flora - Mylea Jones, Flora def. Bayley Andrews, Mt. Carmel - Addison Tennis, Mt. Carmel, 6-1 , 6-2 , -;

Lady Aces Fall To Fairfield, 25-19, 25-10

Lady Aces Volleyball team hosted Fairfield Monday night. The first set the Aces were playing hard and stayed right with Fairfield with many good defensive plays. They dropped the set  19-25- The second set it was like the fire was put out and the Aces had a hard time scoring. They lost 10-25. Fairfield mixed up a lot of shots and were very heavy on the tipping game. 

Stats for the Aces were Mattie Armstrong 7 assists, 5 digs, Jayla Johnson 1 kill, 11 digs, Maycee Randall, 3 kills, 1 dig, 1 block, Tenley Davis 11 digs, 1 assists, Lyla Keepes 2 kills, 7 digs, 1 block, Kyleigh Smith 1 kill, 1 dig, 1 block, Tensley Dunlap 4 kills, 4 digs, Avery Coston 2 kills, Gabby Schneider 5 assist, 2 digs. 

The JV match was much of the same from the Mules. They were very strategic on their tips.  Our team started to rally and pick them up,  but they have to work on reading the hitter better and quicker. 

They lost the first set 9-25, and the second 16-25.

Player stats Leah Lewis 2 aces, 4 digs, 1 kill, Avery Coston 4 kills, Cate Pyatt, 2 kills, Mylee Farmer 8 digs, Mercedes Dillard 6 digs, Quincy Keepes 2 aces, 2 digs, 10 assists, Journey Loudermilk 1 kill, Ryleigh Gill 4 digs, Leila Sweeney 2 digs, Addison Mobley 1 dig, Josie James, 2 kills

The Frosh game the girls lost 14-25 first set 9-25 second set. 

Casey Downs Lady Aces In LIC Action

From Assistant Coach Bonnie Keepes:

Thursday September 25th the Lady Aces faced Casey-Westfield LIC conference competitors. The varsity Aces didn’t have their best night and fell in 2 sets. The first set the Aces got behind early. They battled back and made it very close, but couldn’t punch it in for the win losing 23-25. The second set the girls led most of the set, but struggled for just a bit at the end, and lost with the same score 23-25.  It was a hard loss for the team being so close against a LIC opponent.  I really felt a third set coming, but it we didn’t get it this time. Maycee Randall let the Aces with 4 aces, 5 kills and 3 blocks. 

Stats for the Aces were Mattie Armstrong 8 assists, 3 digs, Jayla Johnson 1 ace, 6 digs, 2 kill, Maycee Randall, 4 aces, 5 kills, 2 digs, 3 blocks, Tenley Davis 8 digs, 1 assists, Lyla Keepes 3 kills, 6 digs, Kyleigh Smith 3 kills, Tensley Dunlap 5 kills, 3 digs, Avery Coston 3 kills, 1 dig, Gabby Schneider 8 assist, 8 digs. 

The JV team lost the first set 21-25, but played with less errors and had a big serving run by Mylee Farmer winning the second set 25-13.  The third we got behind, and chipped away almost making it back to win, but dropped 13-15. Leah Lewis and Avery Coston led with 9 and 7 kills. 

Player stats Leah Lewis 1 ace, 10 digs, 9 kills, Avery Coston 7 kills, Cate Pyatt, 3 kills, Mylee Farmer 2 aces, 12 digs, Mercedes Dillard 8 digs, Quincy Keepes 2 aces, 6 digs, 20 assists, Journey Loudermilk 1 dig, Ryleigh Gill 2 ace, 8 digs, Leila Sweeney 1 dig, Addison Mobley 2 kills, Josie James 1 dig, 2 kill. 

The Aces will be back at the hilltop on Monday facing a strong Fairfield team, with Freshman starting st 5. 

Krup smashes a two run bomb to give the Jr. Aces the lead and secure their 1st ever Regional Title

Aran Guanipa started on the mound, going 5 innings allowing two earned runs off of five hits, striking out six. Landon Zuber pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and no runs, striking out one to close out the game.

Brantley Krup was 1-for-2, with the go ahead 2 run homer. He walked twice, drove in 2 runs, while scoring three times.
Aran Guanipa went 2-for-4 with 1 RBI, scoring twice. Cade Tillotson was 2-for-3, with one RBI and scored once. Wade Duckworth went 2-for-4, with one RBI. Bryden Tougaw was 1-for-3 with a walk. Chase Price and Landon Zuber collected 2 walks apiece.

Next up the Jr. Aces head to State. State is held at the Oasis complex in Marion Illinois. Their 1st state game is Saturday October 4th at 4p.m. The Jr. Aces opponent will the the winner of the Millstadt/Waterloo game being played Monday.

Stats From Mt. Carmel 27, Paris 6

Aces improve to 3-2 with the homecoming win.

Gibson Southern Sweeps Lady Aces

The Varsity Lady Aces hosted Gibson Southern Monday night.  The first set we played right with Gibson Southern.  Serve receive was good. The girls were getting kills, and being scrappy on defense, but the Aces ultimately dropped the first set  20-25. 

The second set Gibson got ahead early. The Aces had a run but dropped the set 15-25. Lyla Keepes led with 7 kills, Tensley Davis 9 digs, and Gabby Schneider 9 assists, 8 digs. 

The Titans had a big asset with a strong outside hitter Adelynn Snow, daughter of Mt. Carmel standout athletes Craig and Jessica Snow.  Jessica said it was really special for them to see their daughter play on their hometown court. Adelynn has committed to play Volleyball at High Point college. She is 6’3, very dynamic, and able to put the ball down hard. 

Stats for the Aces were Mattie Armstrong 4 assists, 3 digs, Jayla Johnson 2 aces, 4 digs, Maycee Randall, 5 kills, 2 digs, 1 block, Tenley Davis 9 digs, 1 assists, Lyla Keepes 7 kills, 1 dig, Kyleigh Smith 1 block, Tensley Dunlap 4 kills,  3 digs, Avery Coston 2 kills, 1 assist, 4 digs, Gabby Schneider 9 assist, 8 digs. 

The JV team also lost in 2 sets. 15-25, 23-25. 

They tightened up the hitting errors in the second set, and made it a close exciting match. 

Player stats Leah Lewis 8 digs, 2 kills, 1 assist, Avery Coston 1 ace, 1 dig, 7 kills, Cate Pyatt, 1 dig, 6 kills, Mylee Farmer 7 digs, Mercedes Dillard 3 digs, Quincy Keepes 1 digs, 14 assists, Journey Loudermilk 2 digs, 1 kill, Ryleigh Gill 1 dig, Leila Sweeney 1 dig, Addison Mobley 1 dig, 1 kill, Josie James 3 kills, Gabby Schneider 1 ace, 2 digs. 

The freshman team took a loss with scores 12-25, 12-25. The Lady Aces will face another LIC opponent Thursday at home with Freshman starting at 5. 

Comments by Assistant Coach Bonnie Keepes 

Photo Credit Nichole Loudermilk

Soccer Aces Lose At Olney

The Soccer Aces traveled to Olney Thursday night to take on Richland County, losing 9-1. The Tigers scored first in the 5th minute. They added a 2nd goal 14 minutes later, then notched their 3rd on a penalty kick in the 24th minute. They would score 2 more goals, one of those on another penalty kick for a 5 goal lead at the half. The Tigers added 4 goals in the 2nd half while the Aces scored one of their own on a made penalty kick by Ty Hipsher. The Aces' PK was earned by Zeke Meier when he took a hard foul in the box while attacking the goal off of a pass from Mataio Militoni.

We've been ravaged by injuries & it's really impacting us on the field. The guys who are still standing are doing their best but we've been shorthanded every game this season & that's been even worse in the past week to 2 weeks. All the players but 2 were having to play positions they don't normally play, and that's just going to catch up to you eventually, especially when you have an inexperienced team. The guys have practiced really well & generally played hard through it all so we're hoping this makes them stronger. If we can ever get closer to full strength then the tough times can prove useful as a learning experience if we approach it all with the right attitude.

The Aces will be back at home on Wednesday, hosting Robinson at 6 pm.

Warnken Twirls Perfect Game As Jr. Lady Aces Beat Olney 12-0

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces won big over Richland County Lady Cubs 12-0 in 4 innings during the first round of Regionals!

The Jr Aces, after getting the Cubs 3-up and 3-down defensivley, scored 5 runs in the first inning, scattering 5 walks, 3 singles and a sacrifice fly over 11 at bats to go up 5-0.

After again sitting Richland County down in 3 at bats, the Jr Lady Aces had 2 singles, a walk, reached on an error and a fielders choice to make the score 8-0 going into the 3rd inning.

The bottom of the 3rd inning saw the Jr Lady Aces with a double, two singles, a walk and a couple good ground outs to push 3 more runs across the plate, for an 11-0 lead.

After three quick outs on defense, the Jr Lady Aces headed back to offense, where they had a double, a single and two walks to walk the 12th run home and end the game 12-0 in the bottom of the 4th inning!

Harper Warnken threw a perfect game for the Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces. She faced 12 batters over 4 innings, getting seven strikeouts in her 56 pitches thrown!

Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces piled up 10 hits in the game. Lexi Sisson went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Jr Lady Aces with hits. Willow Gayer and Addison Carmickle each drove in two runs with 2 hits each in their at-bats. TaeLynn Wade, Harper Warnken and Aveah Miller each added a base hit during this game!

The Mt Carmel Jr Lady Aces will compete against the Flora Lady Pups Saturday morning at 10:00 in Flora for the Regional Championship title!

Buss Leads Jr. Aces To Regional Title Game

Mt. Carmel Jr. Aces baseball advances to the Regional Championship with a win over Carmi-White Co. with the score of 16-7.
The Mt. Carmel Jr. Aces rack up 16 runs off of 15 hits. Tate buss lead the way going 4 for 4, scoring 4 times. Brantley Krup, Wade Duckworth, Bryden Tougaw, and Cade Tillotson each had two hits apiece. Ridge Keepes, Aran Guanipa, and Landon Zuber each added one hit.

A strong pitching relief effort by Cade Tillotson shut Carmi down. He went four and two thirds innings only allowing one earned run off of one hit, while striking out six.

The Jr. Aces now advance to the Regional Championship game to avenge their only loss on the season taking on Flora, in Flora Saturday at 10 a.m.

Lady Aces Notch 99th Straight Win

Mount Carmel Lady Aces Golf

West Berwick Golf Course

September 25, 2025

Coach Karin Kelsey

Medalist Zeme Moore

Mount Carmel 155

Zeme Moore 36; Miley Kennard 37; Elyse Swanson 40; Ava Brumagin 42; Miranda Kennard 42; Ella Turner 45; Makaya Bolden 46; Lola Meador 49; Sarah Ireland 49; and Makenlee Seals 65

Benton 183

Emma Zinzilieta 42; Rachel Morris 42; Jacee Meacham 49; Aurorah Spencer 50; Makayla Shelton 53; Victoria Drew 54

From Coach Karin Kelsey: Today marked our Lady Aces 99th consecutive win! During the last 6 seasons, we have won 99 events in a row, beating 356 teams along the way! These numbers include regular season and the state series tournaments. 

Also interesting is that the last time we lost was at Richland Country Club to Effingham St Anthony by 16 strokes on September 23, 2020.
I'm so proud of all of the girls that have played on my teams since the beginning of Lady Aces golf back in 2008! Each of them have set the bar higher every year and ultimately have played a roll in the successes of this years team.

Next up IHSA Regional, Tuesday September 30 at West Berwick Golf Course. 

Lady Aces Tennis Fall To Paris

Mt. Carmel - 1, Paris - 8,

Singles:
No. 1 - Paedyn Keys, Paris def. Ava Giese, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-1 , -;
No. 2 - Bella Moreschi, Paris def. Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel, 4-6 , 4-6 , -;
No. 3 - Alivia Peach, Mt. Carmel def. Shelby Fry, Paris, 6-4 , 6-3 , -;
No. 4 - Myah Bartos, Paris def. Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel, 6-1 , 6-2 , -;
No. 5 - Kaidence Eveland, Paris def. Kate Andrews, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;
No. 6 - Ava Barrett, Paris def. Hadlie Scott, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;

Doubles:
No. 1 - Bella Moreschi, Paris - Myah Bartos, Paris def. Ava Giese, Mt. Carmel - Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel, 6-3 , 6-1 , -;
No. 2 - Shelby Fry, Paris - Ava Barrett, Paris def. Hazel Earnest, Mt. Carmel - Madi Riggs, Mt. Carmel, 6-1 , 6-2 , -;
No. 3 - Paedyn Keys, Paris - Addison Hansel, Paris def. Bayley Andrews, Mt. Carmel - Addison Tennis, Mt. Carmel, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;

3 MCHS Golfers On All-LIC Team

From Coach Abbey Carpenter:

Wet conditions for the Aces at the LIC Conference tournament, we battle through the round and came out with 1 all conference golfer and 2 second team all conference.
Zane Wilcox with a 84 for 1st team all conference
Logan Mobley with a 86 for 2nd team all conference
Drake Stevenson with a 90 for 2nd team all conference.
Heading into Regional on October 1st at Green Hills in Mt Vernon IL.

Big Honor For Merritt

Mount Carmel’s Carli Merritt Earned NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete Honors for the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats for the 2025 season.

Easton and the NFCA announced their list of All-America Scholar-Athletes along with overall team GPA leaders across all NCAA divisions and the NAIA.

The rankings and honors recognize the academic prowess of softball teams across the Association's membership categories. Players were eligible to receive these honors after achieving a GPA of at least 3.5 over the 2024-25 academic year.