Hartsburg-Emden Volleyball playing for State Championship today

[November 10, 2018] 

The Hartem Stags dominated the St. Teresa Bulldogs Friday morning at Redbird Arena in the IHSA Class 1A State Volleyball Semifinals. The Stags swept the Bulldogs 25-17 and 25-14 in two quick sets.

Anna Hayes, who entered the state tournament leading all hitters with 501 kills on the season, was impressive from the start. The senior standout deflated the ball with her first swing and honestly put the young Bulldogs back on their heels.

Hayes then combined with sophomore Alaina Bradburn on a block that earned the Stags their second point of the match. Quickly the Stags lead was 3-1 on another kill by Hayes.

A kill by St. Teresa senior DaeLin Switzer finally sparked the Bulldogs and it looked like it could be a pretty interesting matchup.

Hartem held the advantage early and as Bradburn pounded the ball from the middle position, the Stags stretched the lead to 5-3.

Sophomore Grace Beekman then decide to go down the line with her kill and Hartem was looking pretty confident with a 6-3 lead.

The Bulldogs got an impressive kill from freshman Valerie Nutakor to make the score 8-5. Kills from Lexie Huck and Addison Newbon allowed the Bulldogs to sneak back into the set and after a call in the net on Hartem, the set was tied 8-8.

Quickly the lead shifted back to the Stags as the Bulldogs served the ball into the net.

Seconds later Hayes was back in the front row for Hartem and she wasted no time deflating another volleyball.

Hartem Coach Jennifer Hayes was heard from the sidelines telling her players, “One at at time, ladies, one at a time.”

On the court the attention was shifted back to the younger Hayes, who annihilated yet another volleyball for a kill. Before the little run was over, Hartem had a 13-9 lead. Hayes would add yet another kill to her resume to make the score 15-10, but the teamwork involved to get a point for the Stags was impressive to say the least.

Beekman had some amazing digs to go along with her perfect sets on the day. Lexi Barry didn’t miss a beat from the back row and was stellar in the libero position for Hartem. And just when Hayes did show she was human by hitting one out of bounds, Bradburn came out of nowhere to pick the team up when needed with a kill, making the score 16-12.

With the Stags cruising out to a 21-16 lead, it was Izzy Classen with the kill on the assist from little sister, Avah Classen. How sweet is that? Hayes quickly finished the Bulldogs off with a kill and set one was in the books, 25-17 the winning score.

Set two

Set two saw Izzy Classen recording the first kill and the Stags were off and running.

A trio of kills by Hayes allowed Hartem to lead 7-2 and the young Bulldogs were looking weary early. A kill by Hayes from the back row allowed Hartem to jump out to a 9-5 lead and there was no looking back in this one.

The only question was “How long is this gonna take?” Not long.

Beekman was spectacular with another kill to make the score 13-6.

And then, holy cow, out of the back row came 5’4” junior Emily Craig for the kill. No one saw that one coming. Craig crushed the ball for a 15-7 lead and her teammates could not have been happier. Craig almost had back-to-back kills but the Bulldogs defense managed to salvage the last hit by Craig.

However back-to-back kills from Izzy Classen and Hayes put the Stags in command 19-7.

Once the score hit 20-8 the smiles were busting out all over the faces of Stags, fans and players alike. The anticipation was building.

Another kill by Hayes and the score was 23-11. Hartem would get the final two points on service errors by the Bulldogs, and the 25-14 final score was all that was needed to send Hartem to the state championship match.

In the press conference following the game, St. Teresa Coach Brad Dalton said immediately of Hartem, “They didn’t make any mistakes.” He was spot on in his assessment.

The Stags were “clicking on all cylinders” as one fan decked out in the orange and black put it. The Stags looked very comfortable on the court at Redbird Arena, even though it was the first time playing there for every single player.

As for Hartem Coach Jennifer Hayes, she was all smiles in the post game press conference and when asked what it felt like to be going back to the state championship, she answered quickly, “Oh fantastic. It doesn’t get any better than this. When you leave the floor last year with a loss, you only have one goal, and it’s to come back twice as hard as when you left. And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve had a goal all season to be in the championship match. Everybody is good once they get here and you just hope that things fall your way and today they did.”

Hayes’ daughter, Anna, who led all hitters with 17 kills, was all smiles, too. “I think it’s awesome,” said the younger Hayes of the experience. “This has been my dream forever. It’s awesome that it’s coming true and that I get to experience this.”

Hartsburg-Emden will play Newark for the IHSA Volleyball Class 1A State Championship today, Saturday, at 10:30 a.m.

For Grace Beekman, the super sophomore setter who contributed 15 assists and 5 kills, she beamed about the experience at Redbird Arena. “It’s crazy,” said Beekman. “I’m super-excited. Like Anna said, it’s my dream. It’s great to experience with my team and these girls.” Beekman’s older sister, Kaylee, is also an assistant coach for the Stags.

So with thoughts of a state championship at stake for Hartem, what does this mean for Coach Hayes?

“Well, it means I am not gonna eat or sleep, so that’s first,” laughed the coach, who is in her 24th year of coaching. “But we were ranked really high three years ago and we got upset in the sectional finals. It really proved to everybody that was there that it’s not a given in that it doesn’t matter really how great your players are or how great your team is or how great the program is, cause anything can happen at any given moment. To be able to get through everything that we had cause we had to rebuild then as sophomores and we really took a beating and it’s very humbling and come back as juniors just a little bit short and know that with my daughter it was my last chance to get her here and to experience it. I thought that they all stepped up but I thought especially Anna stepped up today and did what she was supposed to do as captain. I thought Lexi as the other captain really did a great job, too. I’ve had these girls since birth. They’re in the same class. We’re in the same town. All our parents are friends. You know when there is only just a handful of us, it’s more than just a team or it’s more than just a community, it’s a family. And to see what we’ve done together, it’s just incredible,” said the coach, ending before any tears could start.

When asked about the total team effort by the Stags, Coach Hayes was quick to switch emotional gears and answer excitedly, “Izzy Classen out there, man, she was just hitting the ball and then she’d turn to me and be so excited. Emily, Sami, Alaina, every single girl touched the ball and did something spectacular. And you know what? That’s what it’s gotta be because no matter who your captains are or who your stud is, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t have six people on that court playing together, it’s not gonna work in the game of volleyball. It’s not like one sport where you could have a hot shooter and all you have to do is get it to them. You have to divvy up the ball and you have to have everybody contribute and they did and that’s what makes this team so fantastic.”

Izzy Classen, the newbie of the bunch who has fit in perfectly like the last piece of the puzzle, contributed 10 digs and 3 kills versus St. Teresa and she was grinning from ear to ear in the press room. “I mean, yeah, I get scared on the court just a little bit. But today I knew I had to step it up so I did. And then when it happened and everything worked out it was like, 'Wow this is awesome. I am doing it on the ISU court.' It was really cool. The team all helped.”"

Coach Hayes jumped in to mention Izzy’s sister and freshman setter Avah Classen coming in the game and contributing. “To have Avah come in and step up as a freshman was great, too. I can’t imagine. I think it’s nervous for a senior let alone a freshman.

Lexi Barry, the senior co-captain who dug 3 balls and had 4 assists, sat quietly on the end until asked her point of view. “It was awesome,” she answered. “We came in very, very focused. I thought really we didn’t look very nervous at all. We calmed down. A lot of us were worried about the lighting because it’s easier to lose the ball, but we really stepped it up. Everything just fell into place.”

Falling into place, yes, right into a first and second place on the line matchup with Newark on Saturday morning.

As for the state championship match with Newark at 10:30 a.m. at Redbird Arena, Coach Hayes said, “It’ll be a great showdown. It really will. I think you have two great teams in the championship and I think it’s going to be some great volleyball.”
Over the summer Hartem defeated Newark in three sets, but earlier this year at the Mount Pulaski Topper Tournament, Newark managed to defeat Hartem in what Hayes described “as a night where everything went wrong.”

Chances are no one is going to see that outta these Stags again.

Hartem takes a 36-4 record into the final game of the season. Newark brings a 39-2 record to the court. Winner brings home the first place trophy.

Stags stats

Hayes 17 kills 7 digs
Beekman 15 assists 5 kills 7 digs
Izzy Classen 3 kills 10 digs
Barry 4 assists 3 digs
Craig 1 kill 1 assist 3 digs
Bradburn 2 kills 3 digs
Avah Classen 3 assists
Lily Escobedo 5 assists

State championship match with Newark Saturday, Nov. 10, 10:30 a.m. at Redbird Arena.

[Teena Lowery]