Hartem Volleyball clinches Sectional Championship and advances to the Elite Eight

 

[November 01, 2018]  PEORIA HEIGHTS --Halloween Night at Peoria Heights High School might have been a little bit scary for Hartem volleyball fans, but not for Stag senior standout Anna Hayes. When asked if she was scared at all as the Stags were forced into a three-set match with Kewanee Wethersfield, the 5'11 outside hitter answered, "No. No. I just play in the moment. I play next ball, next ball. Like whatever happens, happens, as long as I give it my all."

The senior gave it her all and then some Wednesday night in the Sectional Championship versus Kewanee Wethersfield as she had a career-high 31 kills in the three-set victory.

Indeed the scariest part of the night was Hartem on the losing end of a 28-26 set one with the Lady Geese of Kewanee Wethersfield. The Stags bounced back to annihilate the Lady Geese in set two 25-12 before causing panic in the hearts of Stag fans again in set three. The Stags would eventually escape with a 25-23 win and this clinched an Elite Eight berth for perhaps one of the smallest of the small schools.

A quick recap of the sets goes like this....

Set One

Hartem jumped out to a 7-2 lead and the Stag fans were going crazy as they filled one-half of the gym. Wethersfield called a timeout and once back on the court, the Lady Geese took flight.

Before long those Lady Geese were in the lead, 14-10. This really cranked up the Wethersfield crowd, and the green geese fans that painted the other half of the gym were just going ballistic.

A kill by Grace Beekman managed to calm their crowd a bit, then back-to-back kills by Anna Hayes really quieted those fans. The latter of the two kills by Hayes was right downtown and wow, the words "Don't mess with me!" could have easily been tattooed on that ball. But it was a soft hit by Hayes that threw the Lady Geese defenders off course and as the two collided, Hartem tied the game at 14-14. Hayes doesn't stay soft for long and her monstrous kill that followed put Hartem back in the lead, 15-14.

Hartem took a 17-14 lead on another kill by Hayes and the Lady Geese really appeared to be frazzled.

Honestly, Hayes would just kill that ball time and time again until the Stags had a 21-17 lead and then the tide turned. Beekman was blocked time after time until the score was tied at 21-21.

A kill by middle hitter Alaina Bradburn allowed Hartem to take the 22-21 lead and then after Mackenzie Lindstrom hit the ball out for Wethersfield, the Stags led 23-21.

But a couple errors by Hartem allowed the Lady Geese to tie the game at 23-23.

Hartem took the quick lead again on a Beekman kill but the Lady Geese answered right back.

A Hayes kill flip-flopped the score in Hartem's favor again but that was short-lived. Things can change on a dime in volleyball and Wethersfield took a 26-25 lead.

Hartem was able to tie the game at 26-26 but following a kill by Brittney Litton and an error by the Stags, set one was decided 28-26 in favor of the Lady Geese.

Set Two

This calls for a timeout. The Lady Geese take an 8-5 lead over Hartem in set two but the Stags didn't hit the panic button.

Hartem crawled out to a 5-3 lead here but it didn't take long for the Lady Geese to get their wings flapping again, so to speak. An 8-5 lead by the Lady Geese was the result of their hard work.

Hartem worked their way back to an 8-8 tie after the referees called a ball out by Wethersfield. In the defense of the irate green fans, the ball was clearly in and the fans in front of it knew it, but that is just the way things go sometimes. The Lady Geese would get a call back in their favor later on and fortunately the calls never made a difference in the outcome. Each team was working hard to earn every point fair and square.

The score was still a tight 11-10 with the Stags in the lead when Beekman threw down a kill and sparked a little fire among not only her teammates, but the crowd. In the first set, Beekman may have overheard fans telling her to "shake it off" when she just couldn't find her stride, but in set two she was finding her groove.

Izzy Classen was also finding her groove. The senior snuck in a kill the Lady Geese didn't anticipate and just like that Hartem was up 13-10.

The Stags were rolling now and the points racked up.
 

After a tip by Brianna Grabowski in the middle, Hartem held a commanding 21-11 lead. Hayes threw down a kill that traveled not just downtown but appeared to go 'cross town, too. She is a dominate force and with that particular hit the Stags led 23-11.

With Izzy Classen serving the Stags last two points, it was Hayes with the final two kills that allowed Hartem to take set two, 25-12.

To set three we go. A terrific matchup between Hartem and Kewanee Wethersfield.

Set three

Litton was out to set the tone early for Wethersfield in set three. She began with a couple kills that gave the Lady Geese a 3-1 lead.

This set would go back and forth and see several single digit ties, that last one giving Hartem a 9-8 lead. Litton and her team battled fiercely and tied the game at 11-11.

Another kill by Litton, who is headed to Parkland Community College in Champaign to play volleyball, allowed the Lady Geese a 12-11 lead.

A Hayes kill tied the game at 13-13. The two teams would play "you take the lead, no, I'll take the lead" back and forth until the Lady Geese were up 20-18.

Obviously, Hayes wasn't scared on the court, but it's a sure bet there were a lot of fans with hearts thumping and legs shaking, on both sides. The gym was rocking and louder than an Elvis show in Memphis in the 70's.

The Stags found themselves on the losing end of a 21-19 match, but still Hayes was not shook up. The University of Memphis-bound senior scored back-to-back kills that brought the team back to yet another tie, 21-21 and how much more can these fans take?

Litton, who is a perfect match for Hayes, threw down her own kill that landed right in the face of a Stag and just like that Wethersfield was up 22-21.

The smiles of champions. The 2018 Class 1A Sectional Champions - the Hartem Stags. Congratulations, ladies!!

No worries. Bradburn stepped up and killed the ball to tie the game at 22-22.

Hartem was handed the 23-22 lead when the Lady Geese hit the ball into the net. But it just took a quick second for the Lady Geese to tie the score 23-23.

Much to the surprise of Wethersfield, a rather "soft kill" by Hayes allowed Hartem to take a 24-23 lead.

And then in what seemed like a volley that lasted until the start of November, the Stags won it. It took time and persistence, but they did it. Beekman took five swings from the outside by the Stags bench and while hits 1, 2, 3 and 4 were all dug by the Lady Geese defenders, ball no. 5 went flying off the back row and towards the wall and no one could reach it in time. It dropped to the floor as did Beekman and her teammates, hugging in a circle, relieved, overjoyed and overcome with emotion. Their effort had paid off.

A 25-23 win meant a trip to the Elite Eight and a date on Friday night in the Super-sectional.

After the Stags were presented the Sectional Championship Plaque and game ball, it was Anna Hayes who broke away from the group to walk over to her mom, Jennifer, and the two hugged and hugged as the tears began from the taller Hayes. Hayes' teammates followed her and the girls all stood in a circle hugging and listening to coach's words. It was not hard to notice the tears running down the face of Anna. The girl gave it her all and then some. A 31 kill effort that would make any coach beam with pride, but when that coach is called "Mom" the accomplishment is elevated to infinity and beyond. What a moment.

The Stags are having just a little bit of Halloween fun with their no. 1 fan Collin Schriber holding the sectional championship plaque among players and fans.

Hartem Coach Jennifer Hayes poses with her seniors following the 2018 Class 1A Sectional Championship in Peoria Heights.

The Hartem fans took it all in and even took more pictures than the Kardashians. Every moment was captured and every tear and smile was worth it.

And you know, again Anna Hayes broke away from the crowd. This time she went to hug Brittney Litton, the opponent who finished with 21 kills and 20 digs and who had indeed given it her all. Hugs, smiles, tears, respect ~ all shared in that moment. Sportsmanship at its finest.

After Coach Hayes was able to breathe for a second, she gathered her thoughts quickly and said this of the game, "That was one of the hardest fought games we've ever had. I knew coming in that they were going to be really good. We had a game plan and I thought we stuck to it very well. I thought their hitters did a really great job of putting the ball down and making us work. We've been working on blocking a lot, knowing we had to slow it down. I thought everybody did the job they had to do to win tonight. Whether it was passing, serving, setting or blocking, everybody did something. Everybody made mistakes but everybody made a point that counted. "When you're winning or losing by two, everybody had to make it count and they did. At the end, Alaina (Bradburn) is a brand new sophomore on the Varsity for the first time and she made some great plays.

"Brianna (Grabowski) made a great tip. Everybody did something amazing at the right time, which is what we're talking about.

"I put signs on their lockers before every big game and one of the signs had a quote from Kerri Walsh.
She said before every game the coach would tell them three words. It was breathe ~ be in the moment, believe ~ because when you believe in yourself anything is possible and battle ~ because no matter how hard or how long it takes whoever will battle the most is gonna win. And the coach told them that.

"And I tell them that every time before they go in because we have done all of them. We have had to breathe and relax. We have had to believe in ourselves when no one else would. And we had to battle hard to get every point to win a match. And that is what we did tonight."

What a battle by each team. The defenders were amazing on both sides of the net. Hartem dug 68 balls, with Lexi Barry and Anna Hayes each having 17 digs. Grace Beekman hit the floor for 15 digs.

Over on the Lady Geese side they were busy digging 77 balls off the court. The volleys were just tremendous in this game.

And the play at the net was spectacular. Hartem got the best of the blocking world with 10 blocks, but Wethersfield was by no means shabby with 9 blocks.

Hartem as a team had 60 kills and what a treat to witness that display of power. Wethersfield managed 34 kills and each and every one of those hits were equally as impressive as the Stags power.

For the fans in attendance, they got to see what a state championship caliber match is like. Both teams undeniably are two of the best in the state. It's a shame one team had to go home so early.

With the loss to Hartem, Wethersfield ended their season with a record-setting 36 wins and 3 losses. Hartem improves to 34 wins and 4 losses on the season.

The Stags will play in the Super-Sectional on Friday night at Lexington. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the Stags will take on Flanagan.

Congratulations to the Stags. And one more quick note that could have easily been the headline ~ The Beekman family is NOT MOVING. Best. News. Ever.

Stags stats

Anna Hayes 31 kills (career high) 17 digs 5 points 4 assists
Grace Beekman 17 kills 12 points 15 digs 24 assists 2 blocks
Lexi Barry 17 digs 6 points 2 assists
Izzy Classen 9 points 7 digs 4 kills 2 blocks
Emily Craig 10 digs 6 points
Brianna Grabowski 3 kills 3 blocks
Alaina Bradburn 5 kills 3 blocks 1 dig
Avah Classen 5 digs 4 points 3 assists
Lily Escobedo 12 assists

Kewanee Wethersfield stats

Brittney Litton 21 kills 20 digs 1 block
Mackenzie Lindstrom 10 kills 16 digs
Taylor Lay 9 digs 3 blocks 4 assists
Tess Anderson 25 assists 11 digs 3 kills 2 aces 1 block
Gabi Robinson 4 blocks
Sydney Krause 12 digs
Lexi Nichols 9 digs

[Teena Lowery]