Hartem's Anna Hayes - Living that volleyball dream
Commits to the University of Memphis

[August 28, 2018] 

It has been a busy summer for Hartem volleyball standout Anna Hayes. She made a trip to Memphis, Tennessee back in May with her mom, Jennifer, just as the summer was beginning to kick in. While a stop at Graceland was a given for these Elvis fans, a visit to the University of Memphis was on their agenda as well. What transpired out of that visit to Memphis is something that is off the charts impressive. More on that in a moment.

A mother - daughter selfie from Memphis

In June the mother-daughter duo, along with a few family members in tow, made a trip to the AAU Nationals in Orlando, Florida for a volleyball tournament. Hayes’ Illini Elite 17 Cardinal Team brought home a third place trophy and Hayes was named an All-American. Only 12 out of 560 athletes were named to the All-American Team.

At Nationals, the Illini Elite 17 Cardinal Team boasted a 9-2 record as they steamrolled over competition from Virginia, California, Michigan, Hawaii, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nebraska and Mississippi. Their only two losses came from teams representing Minnesota and Georgia.

In July Hayes headed back down to Memphis for a camp with the other 2019 Tigers volleyball recruits. That’s right, the other 2019 recruits.

July quickly rolled into August and the start of high school volleyball practice for Hayes and the rest of the Hartem Stags was underway.

Now there was some down time included in the form of summer vacation for the Hayes family, as Mom/Stags Coach Jennifer Hayes knows how to teach her daughter Anna to “Work Hard, Play Hard.” But as most of Logan County has known for a long time, volleyball is life for the Hayes family. And that isn’t about to change anytime soon.

The younger Hayes has committed to play volleyball for the University of Memphis Tigers, a Division I school in the American Athletic Conference. What began as a passion for a nine-year-old little girl from a small community quickly transformed into a dream of playing college volleyball. Now years later this journey has transpired into something truly inspirational. Hayes has worked incredibly hard on the court in chasing her dream. She is a five-time state champion at the junior high level and with 1,280 career kills thus far in high school, she will no doubt leave her mark in the history of Stag Volleyball after this upcoming senior season.

She also followed her volleyball heart recently in asking to be given an opportunity when previous circumstances had changed. You see last year she verbally committed to a school in Wisconsin, but all that changed when the coach who had recruited her left earlier this year to take another position - a head coaching position at the University of Memphis. Her “gut feeling” led her south to Memphis and to a school with over 21,000 students. Upon her 2019 graduation from tiny Hartsburg-Emden High School, which lists a 2018 enrollment of 75 students, she will wear retire the black and orange in exchange for the blue and gray of Memphis.

After her whirlwind summer, Hayes weighs in, “The recruiting process was a long one, but definitely worth it. Getting a scholarship to play volleyball has been something that I’ve dreamed of doing since I was nine years old. It feels pretty good to finally be living that dream. In July of 2017, I verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. About six months into the verbal commitment my coached called me and told me he was leaving Green Bay and heading to the University of Memphis. I took it as a sign.

All-American Anna Hayes

"So my gut feeling was to ask if I could go on a visit," Hayes said.  "On my first visit to Memphis, I fell in love with the campus, the girls, the new facility they will be moving into in the fall of 2020, and most of all the atmosphere and opportunities Memphis has to offer. I think what I like most about the Tigers volleyball program is the coach, Sean Burdette. He’s a great coach and I think he’ll take the program far. I can’t wait to be a part of Memphis Volleyball and see where it takes me as a player for the next few years.”

Hayes will officially sign on the dotted line in November.

Michelle Erins, Hayes’ Illini Elite coach on that third place team at national's this summer, had high praise for the all-around player and has no doubt she is ready for the next level of play. “I think the most important thing that Anna brought to our team was just consistency,” said Erins. “She played all the way around. She is a solid six-rotation player. She was solid in the back row and the front row. She was just a consistent force in all that we did. The way that our team was successful was by trying to be as balanced as possible and Anna really enabled that because she is such a strong passer. She enabled us to stay consistent all the time, which is really good.”

Erins also believes Memphis is a great fit for Hayes. “I think she will fit great there. I think it will be a really great level for her and it will really challenge her. I think she’ll step up and do a really great job there. It’s going to be great and she will be ready for it.”

Last but not least, is mom ready for this?

Mom and coach, Jennifer Hayes, certainly seems to be. “I could not be happier with Anna’s decision to play at the University of Memphis,” said Coach Hayes. “I think it will be a great fit for her. She really likes Coach Sean Burdette. They seem to share the same passion and ideals about the sport. They both share a vision about what they’d like to accomplish in the coming years. One of my favorite things about coaching volleyball for the last 25 years is the chance to coach my own daughter. We have been through it all together and it’s bittersweet going into her senior year. She is a phenomenal player. She is a self-driven competitor that refuses to lose. What more could a coach ask for in a player? I’m just blessed that she is also my daughter. As she heads to Memphis, I know the possibilities are endless for her. With Coach Burdette taking over the program, things are going to start to fall into place and I believe she will be a major part in that process. Her drive and work ethic will propel her into a great college athlete. I can’t wait to watch!”

“Elvis sold it!” Hayes chooses the University Memphis, which also happens to be home to Graceland.

It’s a match made in heaven for Jennifer Hayes, who is a huge Elvis fan. When asked about the tour back in May that included Graceland and the Tigers campus, the coach said, “Elvis sold it!”

Memphis is a winner in all this, too. Next year Tiger fans will learn you can’t help falling in love with a player like Anna Hayes. She was raised right with a volleyball in her hands and she will bring a work ethic and a competitive spirit to the team that will definitely impact the program.

In the meantime, the 5’11” senior outside hitter has a high school volleyball season to complete. She will begin adding to her career total of 1,280 kills tonight.

The 2018 season will get underway in Hartsburg as the Stags host Delavan at 6 p.m. for the JV game. The Varsity match will follow.

Congratulations, Anna!

Career stats so far for Anna Hayes:

Freshman year:
Kills - 219
Blocks - 38
Digs - 46

Sophomore year:
Kills - 490
Blocks - 61
Digs - 107

Junior year:
Kills - 571
Blocks - 73
Digs - 248

[Teena Lowery with photos by Jennifer Hayes]