ATHENS — The Barrett family lives and breathes volleyball.

Their boundless passion for the game was certainly revealed during Athens’ home match against Mount Pulaski last Thursday. 

Both sides recognized Elizabeth in particular, the family matriarch and former Athens volleyball coach who overcame breast cancer after getting diagnosed in April and undergoing surgery in May. 

Her sister, Jennifer VanPelt, passed away from breast cancer last year in August. 

Attendees swarmed the Athens gym in pink shirts and helped donate about $1,500 by the end of the night. 

“I'm pretty humbled by the support with everybody showing up,” Elizabeth said. “It's hard times and you look to your friends and your family. They come out and they have your back.” 

That not only included a number of her former players from Athens but also a couple of teammates from her alma mater, Mount Pulaski. Elizabeth graduated from Mount Pulaski in 1994. 

Former teammate Heather Fricke, now the high school principal at Mount Pulaski, was among those present. They grew up together in Elkhart. 

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“Absolutely I wanted to come out and support her because she's a great person at her core and our families go way back,” said Fricke, a 1993 Mount Pulaski graduate. “She's such a special person and has a wonderful family. It seems we see each other every volleyball season. Last year was at Mount Pulaski ... but like I told her, we're still close."

Elizabeth’s influence extends far and wide through volleyball.  

“There was so much support for the family and for her,” Fricke said. “They've just been through a lot and to see she's impacted so many people from being a teacher, from being a coach, from being a great friend, it's just amazing to see people come out and support her and her family this way.” 

One of Elizabeth’s daughters, Becky, stood out on the volleyball floor, of course. 

The senior Libero nearly rallied the Warriors in a hard-fought 25-23, 18-25, 25-22 loss to the Hilltoppers with superlative jump serves, dazzling saves and enthusiastic leadership. 

“Becky's a tough kid,” Elizabeth said. “Even through everything with my health, she just steps up and takes charge. Like she does on the volleyball court, she does at home. She kind of pulls everybody together. We just come together as a family.” 

Becky said the support for her mom was amazing. 

“She's all good now,” Becky said. “She actually went to my tournament two days after her surgery and so tonight was really special not just for my mom and my aunt, but for everyone who's had to fight breast cancer, and I think just playing our hearts out for them.” 

Becky committed to play at NCAA Division I Purdue Fort Wayne in July. Her older sister, Adrien, played at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale — not unlike mom — after leading Athens to the Class 1A state finals in 2019. 

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Senior teammate Marissa Poteet said she can’t wait to see what Becky does in college. 

“She reads very well,” Poteet said. “She'll go there before the ball even goes there. She anticipates everything and, honestly, I don't know how she gets everything up. But she does, and I love her for that.” 

According to Fricke, Elizabeth was a middle hitter at Mount Pulaski. Becky didn’t inherit the same size but gets her athleticism and zest for volleyball from mom. 

“Me and Becky were best friends in junior high and since, and she has always been a leader,” Poteet said. “I've always looked up to her on the court and off the court. Liz is like a second mom to me. She always gave advice and everything.” 

Becky said of her role on the team, “I think just for me trying to stay calm for the rest of my team, trying to support them in every way that I can and just getting everything up so my teammates have the best chance on the balls.” 

She displayed all of those things despite the extra attention Thursday. 

Contact Bill Welt: (217) 788-1545, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt