The Perryville Lady Pirates (10-16-2) were riding a short two-match winning streak when they came to the Perry Park Center in Perryville for the annual Hope Game against St. Vincent on Oct. 14.
The 2025 Hope Game — which featured matchups between Perryville and St. Vincent’s freshmnen, junior varsity and varsity teams — was dedicated to the memory of former Perryville Elementary teacher and Perryville High School girls’ basketball coach Pat Wibbenmeyer, who died in 2016, along with former St. Vincent students Kacey Berkbuegler and Liam Riney. Berkbuegler, then a senior at St. Vincent High School, died in 2013 at the age of 18, while Riney, a student at St. Vincent Elementary, died in 2021. All three were battling various forms of cancer.
Donations collected during the Hope Game — so named to help promote cancer awareness — are divided between three scholarships funds established in the memory of Wibbenmeyer, Berkbuegler and Riney.
Perryville had improved to 10-14-2 after recording 3-0 victories over Cedar Hill Northwest (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) and Meadow Heights (25-22, 25-22, 25-18), and were more than ready to square up with crosstown rival St. Vincent. The Lady Indians (22-6-2) were riding high after eight wins and a tie stretching back to Oct. 1, when they lost on the road to St. Pius X.
St. Vincent previously lost to Perryville this season, falling 2-1 to the Lady Pirates in the Dig For Life Challenge at the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau, leaving them ready for a taste of payback.
They got it. Despite a strong showing in the second set, the Lady Pirates, playing in their pink jerseys, fell 3-1 (25-15, 21-25, 25-19, 25-12) to St. Vincent, marking only the sixth time the Lady Indians had beaten the larger school since 2009 and the third in the past five years. The Lady Pirates hold a 24-6-1 edge in the crosstown rivalry.
“My girls played their level in the second set,” said Perryville coach Liz Meyr, “and, in the third set, we were doing good and some of our players started struggling with their own confidence and that spiraled out of control the remainder of the game. I think all the teams in the area this year are hot and cold, and that just wasn’t one of our best nights.”
Junior Emma Blechle led the Pirates with 14 kills, followed by freshman Kaeli Klaus with 4. Allyson Burns, Paige Berkbigler, and Lydia Schlimpert had 3 each.
“[St. Vincent] has some good blockers,” Meyer said, “but our girls were not swinging like they typically do. Our freshman was a little nervous for her first Hope Game, and sometimes when you let your nerves take over, different things happen. We got her calmed down.”
Blechle and Burns each had 2 aces for Perryville, while Schlimpert had 4 blocks and Klaus had 2. Lexi Schemel had 23 digs on the night, followed by Blechle and Burns with 10 each. Berkbigler and Burns each had 13 assists.
St. Vincent’s first-year coach, Leeah Radil, had praise for both teams.
“It’s a big night for these girls,” Radil said. “They’re hometown rivals. The schools are like 3 minutes apart, so it’s a big night for them. “Both teams came out strong and they battled hard. I think my girls did a great job of communicating with each other. They were ready to play from the very beginning, and they showed me on the court what they can do, and I’m super proud of them. We just had a great night. My team’s finally starting to mesh. They are doing a lot of great things. The team that we played tonight, though, they are an awesome Perryville team, and it’s super fun to watch them play.”
Earlier this season, Burns, a senior setter, reached a special milestone, topping 1,000 career assists for Perryville in a loss to Windsor on Sept. 16. On Tuesday, St. Vincent senior Alaina Cates set her own milestone, topping 500 kills during the match against Perryville.
“She’s our middle hitter who turned into our outside,” Radil said. “She’s been on varsity two, maybe three years for St. Vincent, and she got to hit 500 kills in the Hope Game, which makes it even better.”
Complete stats for St. Vincent were not available as of noon Tuesday, but Radil had plenty of praise for her team.
“They came out a little flat that second set,” Radil said. “We talked about being a little louder on the court, finding what’s open, and playing as a team instead of playing just for yourself.”
Perryville won the junior varsity matchup in straight sets, 2-0 (25-16, 25-20) and the freshman match despite dropping a set, winning 2-1 (21-25, 26-24, 16-14).
