Lakers Volleyball Claims Region XXIV Championship
Featured photo caption: The Lake Land College volleyball team defeated the Vincennes University Trailblazers on Sunday, Nov. 2 to claim the Lakers’ first Region XXIV Championship since 2014. Pictured back row (left to right): Volleyball Assistant Coach Elizabeth Vanneste, Mattoon; Volleyball Head Coach Lainey Jackson, Mattoon; Ceylin Sar, Ismir, Turkey; Bella Austin, Effingham; Charlotte Wilkerson, Charleston; Tessa Seely, Sullivan; TaNeal Einhorn, Teutopolis; Beronica De Oleo, Dominican Republic; Haley Podkul, Mokena; and Addison Urbanski, LaSalle. Front row (left to right): Alisa Rodionova, Moscow, Russia; Ammber Medina, Tampa, Florida; Reese Brunken, Carterville; Sydney Walker, Decatur; and Danielle Probst, Teutopolis.
The Lake Land College Lakers volleyball team clinched the 2025-2026 Region XXIV Championship by defeating the Vincennes University Trailblazers on Sunday, Nov. 2.
The Lakers jumped to an early advantage in the match and secured the win in four sets, 25-19, 25-20, 25-27, 29-27. The victory marked an impressive upset for the third-seeded Lakers over the top-seeded Trailblazers, who were looking to clinch their fifth consecutive Region XXIV title. For Lake Land, the victory marks the College’s first Region XXIV Championship since 2014.
“We’re incredibly proud of our volleyball team for capping off another strong year with this impressive victory,” Director of Athletics Bill Jackson said. “Our Laker teams across all sports have enjoyed a lot of recent success, and this is just the latest example of the hard work and dedication our athletes, coaches, trainers and staff across the College have put in to making Lake Land a top-tier destination for community college athletes.”
Lake Land opened the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 1 against Frontier Community College, defeating the Bobcats 3-1 before besting John A. Logan College 3-0 to reach the championship round.
The 2025-2026 Lake Land College Volleyball team consists of the following student-athletes.
| Name | Year | Hometown |
| Bella Austin | Freshman | Effingham |
| Reese Brunken | Sophomore | Carterville |
| Beronica De Oleo | Freshman | Dominican Republic |
| TaNeal Einhorn | Sophomore | Teutopolis |
| Ammber Medina | Freshman | Tampa, Fla. |
| Haley Podkul | Freshman | Mokena |
| Danielle Probst | Sophomore | Teutopolis |
| Alisa Rodionova | Freshman | Moscow, Russia |
| Ceylin Sar | Sophomore | Ismir, Turkey |
| Tessa Seeley | Sophomore | Sullivan |
| Addison Urbanski | Sophomore | LaSalle |
| Sydney Walker | Sophomore | Decatur |
| Charlotte Wilkerson | Freshman | Charleston |
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