{"id":8692,"date":"2026-07-20T14:52:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8692"},"modified":"2026-07-20T14:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T14:52:25","slug":"princeton-shows-support-for-mendota-volleyball-after-loss-of-teammate-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8692","title":{"rendered":"Princeton shows support for Mendota volleyball after loss of teammate – Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"


The Princeton volleyball team wore special shirts in memory of Mendota player Jeniah Francis when the two teams meet in summer league at Sterling High School on Wednesday, July 15. Francis was tragically killed in a July 3 auto accident. <\/span>(Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)
The Mendota Spikers<\/a> may have been on the opposite side of the net when they played Princeton in the Sterling summer volleyball league this week, but they found they were not alone.
The Tigresses<\/a> arrived wearing purple shirts in support of the Mendota team, school and community in the midst of their tragic loss of sophomore teammate Jeniah Francis, killed in a July 3 auto accident.
Most importantly, the Princeton girls brought much love.
Each member of the Princeton team, including players and coaches, wore shirts in Mendota purple, displaying a Trojans logo on the front shaped in a heart on top of the Tigers\u2019 logo. On the back side, there was Jeniah\u2019s No. 4 outlined in a Trojans logo with the inscription: \u201cLLJ\u201d (Love Like Jeniah) with a purple heart and a dove.
Mendota senior hitter Harlow Foltnewicz and sophomore setter Eva Beetz said Princeton\u2019s support really meant a lot to them and all of their teammates.
\u201cThe team and I want to thank Princeton for their love and support they showed us. Wearing those shirts to honor Jeniah means so much to her family, friends, teammates and everyone who loved her,\u201d Foltnewicz said. \u201cTheir kindness has reminded us that we aren\u2019t going through this alone. As we continue this season we will carry Jeniah\u2019s memory with us every step of the way remembering the love, joy and light she brought to so many people.\u201d
\u201cWhat Princeton did for us meant more than I can put into words,\u201d Beetz said. \u201cLosing Jeniah has been incredibly hard on everyone. She was my teammate, my friend, and my outside hitter, and I enjoyed being on the court with her so. Seeing Princeton wear the purple LLJ shirts and honor her meant so much to all of us.
\u201cIt was really special to see another town come together and show so much love and support for someone who meant so much to us. We will never forget the love and support Princeton showed Jeniah and our team.\u201d
Princeton senior Bella Clevenger (left) and junior Jocelyn Strouss (right) presented Mendota coach Demi Salazar with a special shirt in memory of Mendota player Jeniah Francis, who was killed in a July 3 auto accident when the teams met in summer league at Sterling High School on Wednesday, July 15. <\/span>(Photo provided by Emma Clevenger)
Princeton senior Bella Clevenger and junior Jocelyn Strouss presented Mendota coach Demi Salazar with a matching shirt of his own.
\u201cIt felt good to be able to show our support toward the Mendota volleyball team and community,\u201d Clevenger said. \u201cEven if most of us may not of known her personally, it is still an upsetting subject for everyone. And I could tell it hit Demi hard and I was happy that me and Jocelyn were able to give him his shirt that matched all of ours.
\u201cEven though we will compete against Mendota multiple times throughout the season we will always be thinking about them.\u201d
First-year Princeton head coach Libby Boyles, who has played club ball for Salazar, said it was important for her team to show their support for Mendota.
\u201cWe wanted to show our support for the Mendota community through an unthinkable situation,\u201d Boyles said. \u201cIt goes to show that playing sports and making those connections is such a privilege that we all are guilty of taking for granted often because we get caught up in the moment.
\u201cYou\u2019ve heard me say \u2018volleyball family\u2019 many times before. This was our way of honoring a beautiful life taken too soon and supporting our volleyball family, even if they are across the net from us.\u201d
Salazar, who knows many of the Princeton girls from club, said Mendota definitely felt the love.
\u201cIt was awesome. You can\u2019t hardly talk sometimes when they do stuff like that,\u201d Salazar said. \u201cWe always said that these are the things that make club and families a cool thing.\u201d
Clevenger was pleased to help lift Salazar\u2019s spirits.
\u201cDemi is a great person. He has changed my perspectives for volleyball as well as soccer growing up,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s a supportive human and never loses faith in me or any girls I\u2019ve played with on his team. I feel it\u2019s hard not to be nice and respectful to Demi because of how much of a great person he is. He\u2019s loved by many, including myself and Jocelyn.\u201d
Bureau Valley was also one of many local volleyball teams to show their support with a flower arrangement for Jeniah\u2019s funeral services.
The Princeton volleyball team wore special shirts in memory of Mendota player Jeniah Francis when the two teams meet in summer league at Sterling High School on Wednesday, July 15. The back side of the shirts carried the script “LLJ,” standing for “Love Like Jeniah.” Francis was tragically killed in a July 3 auto accident. <\/span>(Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)
Kevin has been sports editor of the BCR since 1986, covering Bureau County\/IL Valley Sports. Was previously sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and a regular contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals Magazine. He is a member of the IBCA and Illinois Valley Hall of Fames. Fun fact: he is one of 4 sportswriters from his tiny hometown Atlanta, IL<\/p>\n

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The Princeton volleyball team wore special shirts in memory of Mendota player Jeniah Francis when the two teams meet in summer league at Sterling High School on Wednesday, July 15. Francis was tragically killed in a July 3 auto accident. (Photo provided by Bella Clevenger)The Mendota Spikers may have been on the opposite side of the net when they played<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t