Hartsburg-Emden Stags dominate
sectional championship over Unity Christian
[November 07, 2025]
The Hartsburg-Emden Stags played exceptional volleyball on
Thursday night versus the Decatur Unity Christian Lions.
The Stags put an end to the Lions terrific season in two quick sets,
25-12 and 25-16, inside the Pretzel Arena at the New Berlin Class 1A
Sectional volleyball tournament.
The Stags made history by being the first team to win a sectional
championship in the new arena.
The Stags are now 35-5 on the season and they move on to the Elite
Eight Monday night.
The Lions season ended with a 30-9 record.
Set one
The Lions gave the Stags the first two points on errors to start set
one. Alayna Briggs then set the tone for Hartsburg-Emden with a
powerful kill that really put a scare into the Lions early. Briggs
followed with another kill and after a hitting error by the Lions
and an ace serve by Celia Cross, the Lions were not only down 6-0
but they looked a little rattled. The Lions finally scored on
back-to-back kills but with Briggs and Emma Eeten playing smart at
the net, the score escalated to 10-2. Unity would get it together
for a small run, trimming the lead to 11-7. But Hartsburg-Emden has
so much firepower in their arsenal of hitters that the Lions were
easily shut down once Cambelle Hopkins and Ellie Klokkenga hit the
front row. Hopkins first kill of the night sparked a 5-0 run by the
Stags. Klokkenga closed the run with a kill that buzzed by the Lions
back row. In the midst of the breeze of the flying volleyballs were
a trio of errors by the Lions that helped the Stags capture that
16-7 lead. The Stags had a few hiccups themselves, nothing major, as
the score reached 19-10. Another kill by Briggs allowed the Stags to
reach 20 points. With Celia Cross just skimming the net on her next
serve, the ball fell in for an ace and a 21-11 lead. The Lions coach
called a timeout and the Stags were pretty quick out of the huddle,
already knowing the game plan. This next play saw Lydia Doolin get
her first kill of the night for another Stags point. After a
successful block by Briggs and Eeten, game point was on the line.
Klokkenga finished off the Lions with a huge kill and set one
belonged to Hartsburg-Emden 25-12.
Set two
It took a kill by Briggs to knot the score 3-3 in set two. Actually
the Lions would find a few holes and take a 6-3 lead. Briggs wasn’t
about to have that so she got the team fired up with one of her
monster hits. This was the beginning of the end for the Lions.
Klokkenga had back-to-back kills, the last one really devastated the
Lions defense. Finally an ace by Briggs brought the score to an even
7-7 and the Stags took flight. Eeten had a kill from the middle,
Briggs had another ace and Klokkenga had another kill. The result
was a 10-8 lead and the Stags were rolling. The little Eeten sister,
Ava, even had an ace of her own to add to the score. After two more
hitting errors by the Lions, Hartsburg-Emden was taking control with
a 13-8 lead. And talk about taking control, Klokkenga was on a
mission. She had a sweet kill to make the score 14-8 and then came
right back with another one for a 15-9 score. The Lions managed a
couple good kills of their own but still the Stags were proving to
be the dominant creatures. Doolin, who surprised the Lions with a
kill in set one, had an outstanding kill in set two that was
fantastic not only because it earned a point but because her dad has
his phone up and steady, videoing the play with the biggest smile on
his face. The Stags lead was now 18-11. Briggs was just one of the
many Stags who was amazing on this night and with a front row kill
she made the score 19-13 and then with a back row kill she made it
21-15. You can just about bet your bank account on the Stags now.
Following a timeout, the Lions would just get one more point in the
set while the Stags highlight of the last four points was a block by
Cross. While the Lions hit the ball out of bounds and then into the
net to give the Stags the final two points, that was not any
indication of how the entire night went. The Lions played a great
match, but again the Stags were just exceptional on this night. The
entire team played terrific and set two was a 25-16 victory that
allowed the Stags to earn a trip to “almost Missouri Monday night”
according to Stags statistician Ron Crane.
The Stags will travel to Concord on Monday, November 10, 2025 to
take on Tremont at 6:00 p.m. in the Triopia Super-Sectional.
While the entire Stags team was truly on their A-game Thursday
night, Ellie Klokkenga and Cambelle Hopkins are two players who may
not always get the spotlight, but they definitely shined in the
sectional championship.
Klokkenga recorded eight kills, second to a dozen by Briggs. And
it’s true, when Klokkenga is on fire the rest of the team is
following her blazing trail. Briggs is always going to be consistent
with double-digit kills, practically every night, but it’s Klokkenga
who holds the match and when she lights it, the opponent is like
gasoline. Poof. They disappear.
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The Hartsburg-Emden Stags won the Class 1A Sectional Championship
and moved into the Elite Eight. Photo by Teena Lowery
As for Hopkins, the junior can jump out of the gym, hit the ball
with surprising power and she made some incredible diving saves in
that back row, bouncing back like a rubber ball. Hopkins had a dozen
digs to lead the Stags versus the Lions.
Both girls praised Decatur Unity after the game Thursday night. It
was an excellent display of volleyball from both teams. A good
matchup for a sectional title for sure.
“Going into the game, I obviously knew Decatur was a great team,”
said Klokkenga. “We watched them before our game on Tuesday night
and they’re athletic and they have great hitters. We just knew that
if we wanted to win we really had to nail everything. So we
practiced yesterday and warmed up before the game today, really
working on our passing and defense and I feel like that really
showed. I am just very glad for myself that I hit as well as I did
tonight because I’ve been in a little bit of a slump so that fire of
a postseason game was really what I needed so I could get my hitting
back. And I was just really glad that our team did so well. Everyone
had such a good night. Just the fact that this is my third year in a
row with a sectional championship, I am just so grateful. It was
just amazing.”
“I knew they were going to be a hard team to beat but we came in and
we played well,” added Hopkins. “It was really exciting.”
As for Monday’s upcoming matchup with Tremont, the Stags do have one
of their 35 wins this season against the Turks. Back on September
25, 2025 the Stags won 25-19, 27-29 and 25-12 over Tremont.
“It was a three-set crazy game,” said Klokkenga of the previous win
over Tremont. “But we are ready!”
“We are ready!” Hopkins chimed in.
“I think tonight overall that was one of the best games we’ve ever
played,” added Klokkenga.
“I agree,” said Hopkins.
After the win, the girls were happy to enjoy pizza provided by New
Berlin for both teams.
But the happiest girl of all was Ellie Klokkenga, who was also given
a bucket of chicken by a student in the fan section.
“Thirty-six dollars for twelve pieces of chicken” was heard in the
crowd as Klokkenga clutched the brown box of chicken.
After the Stags departed New Berlin, they made their way to Dairy
Queen for their celebratory ice cream and sprinkles.
It’s a good bet this isn’t the end of the ice cream and sprinkles.
The Stags would sure love to see everyone make a road trip towards
the West on Monday night.
Stags stats
Points
Ava Eeten 12
Cross 12
Briggs 6
Grelck 6
Hopkins 3
Kills
Briggs 12
Klokkenga 8
Eeten 3
Doolin 3
Hopkins 1
Cross 1
Blocks
Eeten 3
Briggs 1
Cross 1
Assists
Cross 21
Digs
Hopkins 12
Briggs 9
Klokkenga 4
Cross 3
Grelck 2
Ava Eeten 1
Doolin 1
[Teena Lowery]
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