Tremont ends Stags season in
Super-Sectional
[November 12, 2025]
The Tremont Turks defeated Hartsburg-Emden 25-18, 24-26 and
25-22 on Monday night in the Triopia Class 1A Super-Sectional
volleyball tournament at Concord.
The Turks made school history by being the first volleyball team to
earn a trip to the state tournament, the Stags meanwhile were denied
a third straight trip to CEFCU Arena.
Set one
The first set started with the Stags taking a 5-1 lead but the Turks
turned things around quickly on an 8-0 run, scooting in front of
Hartem 9-5. With Allie Grelck serving an ace, Ellie Klokkenga
recording a kill and the Turks committing a couple errors, the Stags
were able to tie the set 9-9. Alayna Briggs and Emma Eeten then
combined on the block to give the Stags a one-point advantage.
Another 8-0 run by the Turks was costly for the Stags, just like the
errors that were committed by the team that was ranked no. 1 in
Class 1A for much of the season. Hitting errors and net calls on the
Stags had them glancing at the scoreboard to see a 10-17 deficit. A
huge kill by the Turks Aubrey Hurckes allowed Tremont a 20-13 lead
and it was evident they came to play with absolutely nothing to
lose.
The Stags refused to back down and after a kill by Briggs, two aces
by Celia Cross and a block by Eeten, the orange and black were
crawling back with the score 18-22.
Tremont was too tough and definitely determined to put this one away
when they rattled off the last three points on a kill, a Stags error
and an ace. Set one looked like the Turks had won the lottery as the
bench players rushed the court in excitement of the 25-18 win.
Set two
Briggs started set two with a monster kill for the Stags but the
Turks were not fazed. Pretty soon they had the Stags down 2-8 and
that turned into a 6-13 deficit when Coach Jennifer Hayes called a
timeout. Hayes gave her speech and the Stags returned to the court,
eventually setting up Cambelle Hopkins for back-to-back
non-returnable kills. Hopkins found a rhythm and after another kill
and an ace, her team was fighting back, down 11-16. After Grelck
served an ace, the score was 15-18 and the Turks were a bit
concerned.
After a timeout, a kill followed by an ace by Briggs pulled the
Stags closer, 17-19. During a short span of play, Hopkins put down
two more kills to bring the score to 20-21. This forced Tremont into
another timeout and allowed Hopkins to return to form once she hit
the court again. The Turks got a hand on the next Hopkins kill but
it was still good enough for the Stags to tie the set 21-21.
With Klokkenga serving, the Turks committed back-to-back hitting
errors and finally Hartsburg-Emden had a lead. With Tremont
controlling the serve after the next point landed in their favor,
the Turks served the ball long and a 24-22 lead for the Stags was
the result. The drama would continue when a kill by Tremont and ace
tied the set at 24-24. The set ended in the Stags favor when the
Turks first unsuccessfully tried to block Briggs and then they
didn’t have a chance to touch the final kill by Briggs. A 26-24
Stags win forced a set three.
Set three
A long volley won by the Stags started set three and it was evident
early this one would be a barnburner too. Briggs then flattened the
volleyball for a nice kill and the Stags were up 2-1. Once again the
Stags fell behind, this time 2-4, and needed to play catchup. With
Briggs serving and Klokkenga on the right side, the Stags were able
to put the plays together that pushed them to a 7-5 lead. It was a
pretty simple strategy. Get a good pass to Cross and she would set
it to Klokkenga. Four times in a row resulted in Klokkenga getting
four kills in a row. The ball was blowing right by the Turks like a
hurricane wind. Keep it going, Ellie!
But those Turks were a different team than the Stags saw in
September, when Hartem pulled out a three-set victory. The Turks
proved to be resilient and on this night they were pretty close to
flawless.
A kill and two aces put the Turks back on top 8-7. A Hopkins kill
flipped the score back in the Stags favor. After Klokkenga dropped a
serve on the Turks side, the Stags were up 11-9. A tip by Cross kept
the Stags in control 12-10 but the Turks were quick to tie it 12-12.
A 4-0 run by the Stags looked to be the boost they needed in set
three, especially with Eeten and Briggs getting kills and Lydia
Doolin surprising the Turks defense with the tip. A quick set to
Eeten was fun to see and with the Stags now up 17-13, what could go
wrong?
The Turks caught fire again though and two kills and two Stag errors
later, it was a 17-17 ballgame. However, after this tie Turks senior
Aubrey Hurckes went down with an injury. She laid on the floor in
pain for a while before being helped off the court. Hurckes did not
return to the game and she was a key player. The rest of the team
stepped up, starting with a sophomore, Allie Halverson, who came in
to serve. Halverson served the Turks to a 19-17 lead with help from
a huge kill by junior Hayden Alwerdt.
Hayes called a timeout and the Stags responded by tying the set
again thanks to a Briggs kill and ace. This time it was Tremont with
the timeout as the scoreboard showed 19-19. The suspense was a lot
to handle.
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The Stags look across the net as the Turks are announced as
Super-Sectional champions. Photo by Teena Lowery
For Tremont fans, their nerves were calmed when the Turks took a
23-19 lead. How did that happen so fast? Three hitting errors and an
illegal hit called on the Stags. Ouch is an understatement.
Eeten’s last kill of the season made the score 20-23 but after the
Turks put a block on Klokkenga, the season was on the line for
Hartsburg-Emden. The ending was a slow burn with Tremont committing
two errors to set the score at 22-24. There was a glimmer of hope
for the Stags for a split-second. The Turks closed it out with a
game-ending kill by Emma Reynolds and the 25-22 win sent Tremont
fans and players into a frenzy.
It was a gut-wrenching loss for the Stags, who were trying to make
it three trips in a row to CEFCU Arena. The Stags brought home
second place in 2023 and fourth place in 2024.
The Turks improved to 23-17 on the season and they will play Cissna
Park on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at CEFCU Arena in the Class 1A State
Volleyball Finals.
The Stags finished the 2025 volleyball campaign with a 35-6 record
and despite the season ending just short of a state tournament
berth, it was still a phenomenal season that many high school
athletes can only dream about.
In addition to the tremendous success of the team, three individual
seniors stand out as excellent student-athletes who left a legacy to
be proud of: Celia Cross, Alayna Briggs and Ellie Klokkenga. They’ve
done a great job earning their place in Stag volleyball history and
they’re not done playing yet.
Alayna Briggs committed earlier in the season to Parkland College in Champaign while Celia Cross and Ellie Klokkenga just
committed to Illinois Central College in East Peoria.
“What can I say about these three seniors,” said Jennifer Hayes.
“They are every coach’s dream! They work hard in practice, they play
out of season, they do extra reps to get better individually, and
they are all best friends. How lucky am I as a coach to have had
this group all the way through the career and furthermore to have
helped them all continue their volleyball careers in college. They
truly are that 1%!”
“I know, as a team, 35 wins is a success,” continued Hayes.
“However, when you have been as successful as we have been, it lands
a little flat. We wanted more. Our goal was more, and everyone knew
that. And you know what, that’s ok. That in itself is a hard life
lesson. You should have those goals. And you should work hard and do
everything in your power to reach them. Regardless of the outcome.
It makes you better, not only as an athlete but as a person. Last
night was not our night to win the match, it just wasn’t, but we
came out winners. We stood there and clapped in defeat for another
team - a feat rarely seen these days. We learned that life doesn’t
always go our way even if we put in the work and we earned it. We
learned to hold our head up high and be proud of who we are and how
to get through hard times. Those lessons will serve them well. I am
proud of this team. All of them. And I’m proud of these seniors.
That’s why after 31 varsity seasons, I’m already planning for the
next one. Go Stags!”
One final note for the record books:
Celia Cross finished her high school career with 3,210 assists and
that puts her at no. 4 on the IHSA Most Assists, Career list.
Congratulations, Celia!
Congratulations to the Stags team and coaches on a terrific season
as well!
Stags stats
Points
Celia Cross 13
Cambelle Hopkins 9
Ellie Klokkenga 9
Alayna Briggs 9
Allie Grelck 8
Ava Eeten 3
Kills
Alayna Briggs 11
Cambelle Hopkins 8
Ellie Klokkenga 8
Emma Eeten 6
Celia Cross 2
Lydia Doolin 1
Blocks
Emma Eeten 4
Alayna Briggs 1
Cambelle Hopkins 1
Assists
Celia Cross 30
Digs
Alayna Briggs 18
Cambelle Hopkins 16
Ellie Klokkenga 6
Allie Grelck 4
Celia Cross 3
Ava Eeten 2
Lydia Doolin 2
[Teena Lowery]
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